No Longer
by alisonlynn
Summary: A response to the Severitus challenge. Severus might be a little out of character, but he kinda has to be for the plot to work. Secrets come out, promises are broken. Lies are told and images shattered. Warning: Dursley abuse in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Er...hello. This is a response to the Severitus challenge. I love those fics! If you've written one, I'd either love to read it or already have. Um...I'm also a budding writer whose self-esteem isn't too great. I'd love reviews, but please be gentle. Thanks for reading. This chapter is mostly just little memories that are important two chapters from now. Oh yeah, and I don't own any of this. If I did, I'd probably still be here though. Wouldn't it be AWESOME to write fanfiction for your own story? If I ever finish one of the dumb stories I write and someone actually publishes it, I'm SO going to write fanfiction for it. Or...authorfiction.

So anyway, please don't sue me. I own only a pencil and a jumbo bag of Skittles. You can have the pencil, but the Skittles will be gone by the time you get here.

This fic takes place just after fifth year, but all the random stuff we learned in the sixth and seventh book still apply. Like the past and what old Voldie's been up to. And, of course, Lily and Sev.

Chapter One

When the tall, black haired man opened his front door in a temper, he expected to find someone he could snap away with a patented glare. Unfortunately, he saw the only person he'd always regretted his single unkind word to standing in the harsh March wind. The cold breeze whipped her ember-red hair, hiding her face. It didn't matter. He could recognize her in the dark with his hands behind his back. "Lily…" he breathed, stepping aside to allow her to join him in the entryway of his small home. Once he had planned to buy a larger one, but…he didn't need it anymore.

"Severus," she murmured in answer, brushing her hair behind her ear.

He shut the door behind her, wishing with whatever heart he had left that he could leave her on the other side of it. "What are you doing here? Where's that-" he paused for a moment, trying not to use the proper adjective, "-Potter boy?"

She sighed, looking slightly annoyed, but mostly resigned. He could tell she'd been expecting this. "Sev. Potter-James- is not who you think he is. Nor is he who you think he is to me."

He glared, not even registering the hope as an emotion. "You mean your fiancé? Your _other _fiancé? Oh, so he isn't what I think? You aren't _marrying_ that-" his mouth moved for a moment, but no sound came out, "_him_?!"

She sighed and shifted her weight a little. "I guess I deserved that. Particularly since I can't even tell you _why _this is the only choice." Her eyes searched his helplessly, despairing at the misery she saw in them.

He tried to look away, but, as they had when he was 11, meeting the first young witch or wizard he had ever seen, her eyes wouldn't let him. As much as he wanted not to lose everything in the perfect infinity of green, as angry as he was, he had to admit that he didn't want to look away. "You told me once, 'Saying something is the only choice only means you won't consider the others.' Is marrying me really such a terrible thought?"

Her eyes clouded with liquid emotion as she whispered, "Oh, Sev…no. Never think that. Never _ever_. But there's a reason…it wouldn't be safe for either of us or…someone else." She sighed again, "This is too hard. I thought it would be better if you thought I loved James, that maybe you'd move on. I can see that was silly."

His eyes flashed, but he couldn't quite muster up a patented glare. "No-" here he said a word his 11 year old self would not have known, "-it was!" Then something changed in his expression, "Wait…what did you say about James?"

She smiled, but the tears started to fall, "You didn't honestly think I loved James, did you? Didn't you listen to anything I told you in the last 9 years? James is doing this as a favor to me. And you, though he doesn't like to think about that."

The whole time they'd been talking, the two had unconsciously been moving closer together, and he finally noticed when he felt a warm drop of water hit his shoe. He knew it wasn't his. His tears were cold. He closed his eyes for a moment, protecting himself from the terrible green gaze he'd spent so long longing for.

They were so close. He could feel her semi-even breath on his chin.

"Lily…" he breathed, "Can you tell me something?"

She looked deeper into his black eyes, "What?"

He stared back, "Can you tell me-honestly tell me-even now, that you love me?" Their foreheads touched, and her breath caught. He was glad his breathing was already so ragged, so it hid his own reaction to the familiar electric shock.

She answered, unconsciously keeping her voice quiet, mostly to hide the tremor in it. "Sev…that is the one thing I will be able to honestly tell you until the day I die," She leaned closer, until their noses touched too. This time he was sure she could feel his heart jump. "Whether it's before or after you do."

He sighed at the almost audible reaction when the tears on their noses fused. This time he leaned closer, and just before his mouth gently brushed hers, he murmured, "I'll always love you too."

456532576089798667453454

It had been almost a year since Severus had last seen Lily. Even if he counted the glimpse of her hair and flowing white dress at her wedding, it had still been much too long. So when he saw the flash of red through the glass door that day in late August, he didn't hesitate. Maybe, if he had known, he would have paused to gather his thoughts, but, oblivious, the man yanked open the door in one motion and pulled her inside.

She laughed happily at the joy on his face, and he laughed just because she was here and glad to see him. Severus started to pull her into a hug, but stopped when he noticed what Lily held in her arms.

Following his gaze, she found the tiny green bundle of cloth with the splash of black hair. Little Harry had managed to sleep through the laughter, and only curled up in his mother's arms a bit more while Severus stared at him. "Sev…this is…my son, Harry." Lily whispered.

Severus found he was having trouble breathing. "Your son…James's son?"

Lily smiled and asked quietly, "Do you want to hold him?"

Severus's eyes widened and he raised them to Lily's face. "What?"

She smiled again, sadly. "I know you always wanted a family. Since it didn't turn out the way we'd hoped, I thought maybe you could share mine."

His eyes widened more, but a small smile crept through his features, and he held out his arms for the baby. Lily gently shifted Harry so Severus was holding him, and the boy let out a soft sigh as he nestled into the black robes.

"He looks so like James." Severus whispered.

Lily looked down at Harry, and nodded. In Severus's opinion, she looked far prouder of this than was natural. "Yes. But he has my eyes."

Severus glanced down at the boy, who seemed to sense his eyes were being talked about and opened them. Severus looked from Harry to Lily, unconsciously holding the child closer. They did have the same eyes.

Suddenly, Severus realized what he was doing. He, one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters, could not stand in his front hallway with a muggleborn witch, holding the half-blood son of his only love and his worst enemy.

He gently, but very quickly, shoved Harry back into Lily's arms. "You shouldn't be here," he muttered, then looked at Harry. "It isn't safe…for either of you."

Lily watched him, partly bewildered, but mostly sad. As much as she hated it, she understood. "Ok. But…I hope this isn't the end."

His face told her it probably was, but once the door closed behind them, he murmured to himself, "I hope not, too."

546732437965786865956

It wasn't the end, not quite. Lily visited once more, and left Harry with James. It was mid-October, and she just wanted to see him.

"Severus?" she asked, stepping into his house, "Something's going to happen."

He stared at her.

"Sev, you know I can feel things like this sometimes! Something is going to happen, and it's not good," she paused, "I think it has to do with Harry."

Severus was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Ok. I believe you. What do you think it is?"

"I don't have the slightest clue! Just that it's bad, and it's coming, and it involves my son!"

"So what do you want to do?"

"Severus…that's not all."

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh?"

"I also think it involves James and me. I think…Severus, I think this may be the last time I get to see you," she waited for him to laugh, to tell her to stop being dramatic, but she should have known better. Severus Snape didn't laugh. Not at her. "Sev, can you promise me something?"

He was wary, "Depends."

"If James and I…die, I want you to promise me you'll look after Harry. That you'll…protect him, watch over him, whatever. Just help him, Severus. For me."

He took a deep breath. She watched him. "Ok, Lily. If anything happens to you and James, I swear I will protect your child," he caught her hand in his, "But you have to promise me something, too."

Lily retaliated by capturing his eyes, "Anything."

He didn't mind, "Promise me that, if you can, you'll stay safe and alive," he stepped closer, resting his forehead on hers, "Promise me you won't leave me."

She caught his lips in a soft, tender kiss, the kind that sent shivers through their entire nervous system and lingered for long moments, even after it was broken. "I'll come back. I promise you, if I can, I'll come back."

She didn't.

568341268786556354

The black robes billowed threateningly as the man they swirled around swept through the hall. Some could look at him and see nothing unusual in the sneer and bat like movement. Only those very, very few who knew Severus Snape could tell there was something different, could detect a fear in the cold, black eyes, a certain hesitancy to the steps. Luckily, the sole surviving person who knew Severus was elsewhere, and the tall, foreboding figure could hide his thoughts in peace.

It was early evening on the first day of September, and it was the evening Severus had been waiting for for a very long time. It was the day Harry Potter, the son of his only love and his worst enemy, would come to Hogwarts.

This man, the terror of students for nearly 12 years, settled into his seat next to the very temporary current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and began a conversation about the many uses of garlic in dangerous potions.

He was waiting. Waiting for that idiot Hagrid to bring the first years into the hall.

At last, the line of terrified looking 11 year olds filed into the room, and Severus broke off his talk with Quirrill abruptly.

There. At the back of the line, just behind yet another Weasley child, was the black haired boy Lily had brought to see him so long ago. He did look just like James. He seemed to be trying to hide his worry, and doing a reasonable job of it, too (not up to Lily's standard, but Lily had been the bravest person Severus had ever met). Only Severus, who knew Lily so well, could recognize that trace of her fear on James's features.

After a moment, Harry was called. He trembled as he walked toward the hat, and closed his eyes as it slipped over his face.

The potions professor closed his eyes as well, and sighed. He made his decision. Without the eyes, the boy was indeed a small James Potter. To Severus, that was when Harry ceased to be Lily's son. That was when he became just an extension of James.

After that, he was merely the reason Lily had died.

544521857867866545356

Severus had to get out of there. It was the staff Christmas party, and one of Dumbledore's daughters had brought her family. Her baby son, in particular, cut Severus. _He'd_ wanted a son. And a daughter or two, as well. What was so special about Dumbledore's daughter that she deserved a family when he didn't?

Was it because he was a Death Eater? Was becoming a spy and suffering almost daily not enough penance for his past sins? Could he never pay for what he'd done wrong back then?

Was it because he couldn't save Lily? Because he'd thought that with both Dumbledore protecting her and Voldemort not killing her if she stepped aside, that she'd be safe? Because he hadn't been there to help her?

Or was it simply his fate? Was he simply meant to be alone forever, miserable and bitter, living in the past? Was there nothing he could do but bear it?

His mask was slipping. The sneer was gone. He'd been watching the small boy for much to long, with a wistful look on his face. Minerva was staring at him curiously. He had to get out of there.

With a glare at that meddling Transfiguration teacher, Severus swept from the room and back to his quarters, where he could be miserable, bitter, and alone in peace. Where he didn't need his mask anymore.

567644533424676676456

What Severus didn't know was that very soon, he'd be receiving a letter. And armed with the information it contained, he'd learn he had never been alone.


	2. Chapter 2: Letters

A/N- I won't usually post so soon, but all the wonderful reviews and favorites stuff made me so excited I had to! Thanks guys! Anyway, I think I figured out how to fix the underline and italic problems. Hopefully, it'll work now. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Two

It was the second to last day of July, and Severus was busy. Those horrid students would return soon, and he had lots of potions to prepare and even more punishments to devise before they did.

Poppy needed her entire stock of potions for the Hospital Wing replenished before September 1st. Somehow, those students (mostly Potter) had managed to use up all of them after the episode with the Ministry of Magic and the prophecy and being possessed by Voldemort.

Severus wavered for a moment, then shook his head. He'd almost felt_ respect_ for Potter! Bad, very bad. Potter was not someone to be respected. After Lily -

Suddenly an owl swept through his lab, dumping something on his head. Severus only barely managed to catch the thick envelope before it fell in the cauldron, but he lost count of his counter - clockwise stirs in the process, and an entire batch of Dreamless Sleep was ruined.

After scowling at the bird, Severus opened the letter roughly. He was mad, and it was probably from Dumbledore anyway. No one else would write to him, he'd made sure of that.

Out of the envelope fell a key and a few pieces of paper. But that wasn't the thing that stopped the potions master in his tracks.

It was the signature.

The letter was from Lily.

_My dear Sev, _

_I'm sorry. There isn't a lot else to say, but there's a lot more that _has to _be said. Please remember, as you read my confession, that I am sorry. _

_Severus, there is a secret. A secret you should have learned of long ago, but it wasn't safe. It may not be safe even now, but you need to know. As I'm dead now (and I must be dead, or you'll have heard this properly), I'll have to tell you the hard way: straight out, blunt, and without the questions and answers that would have allowed you to figure much of this out on your own. Oh, Sev, how I wish you could have known all along! _

_I'm sure you're now glaring at the parchment, possibly scorching the margins, wishing I would just get to the insert bad word here point. Uncensored, of course. You'll have to learn to watch your mouth soon, you know. _

_So here it is. You have a child. A son. When he was born on July 31__st__, he looked just like you. Our son has rather a lot of black hair, the Snape facial shape, your height (well, not yet), and your hands. That much is apparent even now. He has my eyes and mouth, and I haven't a clue where he got his nose from. It's completely unique. He has your talent for mixing things with…interesting consequences, and my laugh at the results. His name is Harry. _

_Actually, his name is Harry James Severus Snape. I hope you don't mind naming him after James, but he's been wonderful, and saved each of our lives at least once. Unfortunately, only the birth certificate that I modified and locked away can read Harry's real name. To the rest of the world, he's Harry James Potter. _

_I don't know if you've met, or what relationship the two of you have, but he _is_ your son. As of now, he looks just like James, so I'm sure you hate to look at him. The charm will wear off soon, and he'll start to look like you again. _

_I'm sorry, Severus. I'm botching this up. It's all so complicated, and difficult to explain. I'll try to just tell it. _

_Once I realized I was pregnant, I went to James for help. You were (and might still be) a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's most trusted. I'm a muggleborn who's a constant target. Can you imagine how dangerous it would be for our baby? He'd be murdered in an instant, just for existing! So I went to James. _

_He agreed to pose as my husband and Harry's father until it was safe to tell you. We cast a charm on Harry when he was born, to change all the traits he inherited from you to those of James. The charm will begin to wear off on Harry's 16__th__ birthday, which is coming up. _

_In a security vault in Gringotts is all the things you, as Harry's father, should want. The blanket we brought him home from St. Mungo's in. A lock of his first haircut. His birth certificate (the modified one). Pictures of him and me. Pictures of us at school. And 16 years worth of birthday gifts, since I doubt I'll be around to give them myself. There is something in there for you as well, only for you, though you can certainly share it with your son if you wish. _

_Do you remember, so long ago for you, but only a month ago when this is being written, when Harry and I came to visit you? Do you remember holding him, there in your entryway, when I asked you to share my family? Harry is your family too, the family both of us always wanted. _

_I hope you can look past James's face to the child I brought to meet you so long ago. That child is your son, and I'm sure you can someday love him as much as I do. _

_I'm so sorry to have deceived you in this, Sev, this that should have been our greatest shared joy. I hope our son will still bring you joy, and that you can be the father you always wanted to be. _

_I love you, forever and always, _

_Lily_

_P.S.- Remember the Draught of Times Past? I still keep some in my treasure box, just in case. _

Severus collapsed, the letter falling from his frozen hand to flutter to the floor and rest just beyond the black hem of his robes.

"No…" he moaned, "Lily…why did you do this?" He was partly overjoyed to have a child, partly crushed at having said child hidden from him for so long, and partly furious that Potter was…not a Potter.

Potter was…a _Snape_.

Impossible.

But…the letter was definitely from Lily. That was her signature, and no one else would know about the Draught of Times Past. They'd brewed it together in seventh year, and Severus still kept a small vial of it on a string around his neck, as Lily would have said, just in case.

But still…_Potter_? That small, arrogant, scarred version of James - a _Snape_? His _son_? Surely not.

Even if the boy _was_ his - and he wasn't saying he believed it just yet - it wouldn't change anything. It's not like he and that…_boy_ would be a family, or anything. And yet…it did change things.

Severus _had_ always wanted a family. He'd wanted a family with Lily. A son first, to be his pride and joy, to play quidditch with, and teach to walk, and share potions secrets with. Then he'd wanted a daughter or two, to shop for and scare the boys away from and be teased by. He'd play quidditch and share potions secrets with them, too, if they wanted.

The girls would look mostly like Lily, with maybe his height and hair color, just so they'd be recognizable as his children. His son would also look a lot like Lily, but definitely have his hair color and maybe his eyes.

Even now, he could see the five of them sitting in a family room, reading or talking or listening to the radio. He could see Lily and himself meeting their grandchildren, planning birthday parties, telling their kids to clean their rooms…no.

No. Severus shook such thoughts out of his mind. Lily was gone. They had no children. And if they did, it was Potter. Someone Severus wanted nothing to do with.

2222222222222222222222222222222

Somewhere, an unknown distance away, a boy lay in his bedroom the night before his 16th birthday, wondering if he'd live to see another.

That's not something a lot of boys think about on their last night as a fifteen year old. But of course, this particular boy was Harry Potter, and so wondering how long his life would extend was a completely justified, if useless, way to pass the time.

Harry was happy to while away his short peaceful time any way he could, because soon his uncle would return, maybe bringing his cousin, and then there would be little time to think for a long time.

You see, Harry had even more reason to wonder about his survival than most people thought. He was beginning to think he wouldn't make it through the summer.

His uncle had been very…upset when Harry returned. Particularly when Tonks and Mad Eye and the rest had threatened him at the train station. He thought Harry should have been sent to jail for 'cursing' Dudley, and so decided to punish his nephew himself.

Harry didn't like to think about the scars he must have now. Or the bruises. Or the internal injuries. Or the broken bones. And he especially didn't like to think about the ones he'd get tomorrow.

Around the time of night when the sky is darkest (Harry didn't know what time it was. His clock had broken when Uncle Vernon threw it at him), an owl soared through the window, which Harry could have sworn wasn't open, and dropped a letter on the bed.

Harry reached out gingerly. He expected it to be a card or something, and certainly didn't want the Dursleys to find it the next morning. Plus, it was something to take his mind off his back, the welts on which had begun to throb whenever he moved.

At a quick glance, though, Harry could see it wasn't a birthday card, though the envelope had _Happy Birthday_ written on it in blue ink.

It was a letter.

The first line read _Harry, My Son. _

The last line read_ Love, James. _

Harry almost passed out.

_Dear Harry, My Son, _

_Happy Birthday. You're now 16. Congratulations. _

_I hope this letter isn't necessary, though what you're about to hear (read) caused the happiest time in my life. Unintentionally, it caused my being your Dad. _

_I want you to know I love you, Harry. I want you to know it was me who got up at midnight when you cried, who wiped up your food when you spilled it, who helped you take your first steps, who saw your first magic. I love you just as much as if you really were my son. Because, you see, you're not. _

_Lily is my best friend. When she came to me for help after realizing she was pregnant, I couldn't have been happier to be there for her. _

_You see, your birth father loved your mom, and she loved him. They were engaged, but it wasn't safe for them to get married yet. It certainly wasn't safe for you to be their child. _

_Your birth father was a Death Eater, originally. By the time he and your mother fell in love, he was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. I can't tell you anything more about the Order in a letter, but if you don't know already, ask Dumbledore. He should be informed anyway, if you feel up to someone else knowing. _

_Anyway, a muggleborn and a pureblood spy really can't have a baby in this day and age and expect it to be safe. And your mother wanted you to be safe desperately. So she came to me, and proposed her plan. _

_We would pretend to get married. It was a perfect match, so no one would suspect. Only Dumbledore and I knew of the engagement to your father, so that was safe, too. Then Lily could have you, pretending I was the baby's father. When you arrived, we would cast a complex charm on you to change all the characteristics you inherited from you father to mine, and complete our plan to hide you. _

_Unfortunately, the charm will begin to wear off on your birthday, which is why you have to get this letter. _

_Actually, the reason you have to get this letter is because neither Lily or I are around to tell you this ourselves. We are dead, aren't we? Because otherwise come get me and I'll go yell at the post office. _

_Having you as a son was the best thing that ever happened to me. I just want you to know that, because you're probably pretty mad about this whole deal. I would be. _

_But wait, it gets better! I haven't even told you who your birth father is! I didn't tell you before in the hopes that you'd continue reading this until the end, and not pass out halfway through. I would. _

_Throughout this letter, I've tried not to sound like I hated you mother's fiancé, but the truth is that I do. Please don't let that bias anything. I hope you can be a son to him, and him a father to you, because you still need one, Harry. _

_So here it is. Your father is…drum roll please…Severus Snape. _

_Still with me? Sorry about that. But he really did love your mother, and she really did love him. I'm sure he'd have loved you, too, if he knew. Now's his chance, because Lily's busy writing him a letter explaining it all right now. _

_So good luck with your next year of school, and go to Remus or Dumbledore if you need to tell someone. _

_Love, _

_James _

Now Harry passed out, though it might have been brought on by blood loss.


	3. Chapter 3: Rescue and Encounter

Chapter Three

Harry came around in time to hide his letter before Uncle Vernon arrived, but it didn't lessen the beating much. The owl had left droppings by the (miraculously closed) window, so he was certain his nephew was sending messages to those no good friends of his.

At last, the pain and loss of sleep caught up with Harry, and he lost consciousness.

Far away, in a castle that barely even existed, with all the magic used to hide it, a tall, dark man stalked toward the headmaster's office. He was going to ask Albus to check up on that horrible Potter boy, because the boy had no doubt gone on a rampage upon hearing the news. He may hate Potter, but the child was_ his_. He was responsible for anything Potter did while not in his right mind.

"Albus," Severus said shortly, sweeping into the room. "I have reason to believe Potter may need help."

The headmaster looked up. "What? What do you think has happened?"

"I'd…rather not explain. Just go check on him."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Alright. Gather what you need and see what's going on."

Snape stared. "What! Headmaster, I can't go! That would be the worst thing for the boy! Send someone else."

Albus contemplated, "Hm. Minerva should go with you, then, and perhaps Flitwick. But you shall go. I think it would be most beneficial to you."

Severus closed his eyes in horror, wishing he had just asked Minerva to go. She wouldn't have wanted him to join her. "Fine. Contact them."

Dumbledore walked over to the fireplace, and, with a few pinches of Floo Powder, the mission began.

"Minerva," Severus stated when they arrived in the entryway. "Filius."

"Severus," Minerva said curtly.

"Sev," squeaked that insanely tiny Charms professor.

With a glare at the nickname, the tall man strode to the doors and flung them open, allowing the group to walk quickly through the grounds and to the apparation point.

"This is the house," McGonagall said.

Flitwick turned to look at her. "Are you sure? They all look the same."

"Of course I'm sure. I dropped him off here, nearly 15 years ago."

Severus looked back at the house, thinking, _I'm _so_ going to laugh if we walk in on some newlywed couple who've never heard of Harry Potter_.

Of course, they didn't. They wished they had. No, they walked in on Dudley and his parents stuffing themselves, a bloody stick on a hook that looked to have been made specially for that purpose.

"Where is Harry?" McGonagall asked in a low, dangerous voice. It was strange to Severus that those muggles could look at her and hear that voice and not know what she was. Not know what she was capable of if provoked.

"Harry?" the fat man said, "We don't know any Harry. We're good, law abiding people, you - you have no right to - to come bursting in here!"

Minerva whipped out her wand and pointed it straight at the man. "We know Harry is here. You know Harry is here. Tell us where he is. Now."

Severus smiled inwardly. That woman…she was obviously a Gryffindor. Stupid integrity. To h with it. He pulled out his own wand and cursed them mercilessly. And don't you tell anyone it was just a tickling jinx, we can't have Sev losing his reputation, now can we?

"Alright!" the short, even fatter boy cried. "He's in the bedroom! Second door at the top of the stairs!"

Severus smiled coldly and lifted the jinx. The three wizards (sorry, two wizards and a witch), quickly stomped up to the second floor. Well, Severus didn't stomp. He never did anything so frivolous.

When they reached it and found locks to rival those on Severus's potions cupboard, Flitwick glanced at Minerva, then charmed them off. Then he stopped in his tracks. So did Minerva. Severus, who was lurking behind them, just sighed and pushed through, wanting to see (and make snide comments on) the palace Potter surely lived in.

"Er…." He hadn't been expecting this. A tiny room, almost _smaller_ than his potions cupboard, was filled with a bed, a dresser, and a pile of sheets. But there was also blood.

A lot of blood.

The sheets were stained with it, the floor had puddles of it, the bed was _covered_ in it, even the walls had red liquid necessary for life spattered on them.

"Oh my -" McGonagall started.

"Minerva, don't say anything you can't say in front of Potter," Snape interrupted, holding all thoughts from leaking into his voice.

"What? Why?"

"Because I think that's him." Severus nodded at the pile of sheets, which didn't actually look like sheets. Now that he thought about it, they looked more like extremely baggy clothes wrapped around an incredibly small human who seemed to be bleeding rather a lot.

"Oh…." Minerva lost the power of speech and movement, and just clutched the doorway in horror.

Flitwick just gasped and stood there, shell-shocked.

Severus, who seemed to have retained the _most_ sanity of the group, hurried over to his son - no, _Potter, _and scooped him into his arms. The boy was clutching a piece of paper, and it dropped to the ground when he was lifted. "Filius," Severus said, "Pick that up and let's go. Potter obviously wants it."

Flitwick, his eyes still wide, bent down to get the paper and, finding the loose floorboard under the bed, the things under that, too. _Good, _he thought, _Harry will want his wand_.

They went back downstairs, being much more careful than they had been going up, and went outside to apparate directly to the Hospital Wing.

"Take care of Harry," Minerva said, fingering her wand, "I have some…business to take care of."

Severus's inside face broke out in a grin. He had no doubt that the muggles would be in a lot worse shape if he ever saw them again.

"Oh my -" Poppy screamed when Remus and Severus brought Harry into the Hospital Wing.

"Poppy, don't say anything you couldn't say to a student," Severus ordered.

"Is that a student!?" Poppy asked in horror, taking Harry and setting him down gently in a bed before pulling out her wand to assess the damage.

"Yeah," Flitwick squeaked, still shocked, "That's Harry."

Poppy only paused for a moment, her eyebrows shooting up, " Harry?! That's…oh, and he gets stuck in here so often on his own! Poor boy."

Severus was still trying to process this. Harry didn't have a perfect life. He wasn't pampered. He wasn't catered to. He was treated just like Severus had been. He was…_beaten. _Severus's _own son_ had been _beaten_. Well, one thing was for sure: that child was never going back to his aunt and uncle. No matter how much they hated each other, Severus could never allow a child to go through that. Certainly not his _son_.

That was when Severus made a decision similar to the one he'd made at Harry's Sorting. He wasn't going to treat the boy like the Boy-Who-Lived. He was going to treat him like Lily's son. Like _his_ son.

Because that was when Severus started to except that that was true.

Harry didn't wake up until the next day, when Madame Pomfrey was talking to Professor Snape in the other room.

"Severus, it's very bad. He shows signs of having been mistreated in the past. Not in the way of beatings, thankfully but he's very malnourished and his immune system is going to need a lot of repair."

"Well, do what you have to do. I'll have the potion ready for you this evening, and don't worry. The boy will never go back there."

"Ok. Thank you, Severus. And good luck on that potion."

The door opened and Severus walked out. Seeing that Harry was awake and staring at him with wide eyes, he stopped in his tracks and just stood there for a moment. Finally, he turned and stalked out the Hospital Wing door in a manner most would consider normal for him. They would have been wrong.

Madame Pomfrey followed soon after, pushing a cart full of medicines and balms and splints and instruments Harry couldn't believe were legal. She paused at his bedside, her face lighting up. "Harry! Thank goodness you're awake! You had us worried for a while there. Are you feeling better?"

Harry opened his mouth to try to speak, but only a rasping sound came out. He tried again. "Fine," came the high pitched whisper. He _coughed_, winced, and whispered, "I'm ok. Just really sore."

Madame Pomfrey smiled in sympathy, "I'd imagine. You were in pretty bad shape when Professor Snape brought you in yesterday."

"Snape?" Harry squeaked. _Snape saved me from the Dursleys? Oh, this is just great. And he _knows!_ My mom just _had_ to write him a letter too, didn't she? _

"Professor Snape, Harry. Yes, he found you. Remus was there too, and Professor McGonagall, but Minerva stayed in Muggle London for a bit after they brought you here."

Harry flopped back on his pillow, his muscles sore from holding him up, and his vocal cords sore from the few words he'd managed.

"You just need to swallow this potion, we'll need to give you this one as a shot, and we'll check your broken bones again. They seem to be healing nicely, but it'll take some time. There are so many I can't heal them with a spell. So open up, Harry, and this should help with the malnourishment."

Harry looked at the vial in horror. He was positive he'd throw up if he so much as tried to drink water, and this potion was sure to be disgusting. However, he opened his mouth and swallowed, wincing at the feel on his throat. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the stuff tasted more like treacle tart than bat droppings, though there was a slight taste like vinegar mixed in.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it? Professor Snape changed the taste for you, because he knows how horrible these things can be on an empty stomach. Or a full one, for that matter."

_Snape again. Why can't the man just leave me alone and stop trying to _help _me all the time?_

And with that, Harry fell asleep again.

Severus remained in his private lab all day, working on the potion and thinking. It was strange for him to do both at once, because one of the reasons he loved potions so much was that it didn't require a lot of outside thought.

He was thinking about the reason he was brewing the potion. It was a complicated healing potion that would heal all internal injuries and jump start the bone mending. The thing that puzzled him most was _why_ the boy needed it.

He sighed. Why couldn't the boy have been pampered and spoiled like he'd assumed? Things would be much simpler if he could just leave the child alone and know he was being treated far better than Snape himself could. Then he could hate his son in peace.

However, Severus was not a cruel man, contrary to popular belief. If being Potter…er…Snape…er…that boy's father would keep him away from those awful Muggles, then that's what he'd have to do.

With a decisive nod, Severus threw the yak brains in a full 40 seconds early.

"Da - um…insert bad word here!" He yelled, throwing a small tantrum from his chair. Now he'd have to start all over again with something else, too.


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams of Memories

Chapter Four

Harry awoke the day after to a strange sight. There was a tall, dark figure at the end of his bed.

Harry blinked, trying to make the blob come into focus, though he thought he knew who it was.

The shadow wavered, making it a bit more clear, but Harry still squinted in confusion. It was Professor Snape, but why couldn't he see him?

"Your glasses are on the bedside table," Snape said in a slightly nervous tone.

Oh. That explained it. Harry tried to reach over to grab them, but couldn't move his arm.

"Your arm is broken in two places, and it isn't responding to healing spells yet, so Poppy put it in a cast that's attached to the bed. Your leg is broken too, as well as several ribs and there's a crack in your spine. Most of the bruises and cuts are gone, the welts are mending properly, and the internal injuries should be better after you take this potion." Snape said in a rush.

"Oh," Harry rasped, "Er...thanks."

"Um…I'm assuming you got a letter from Lily?"

"No. My da - James sent one," Harry paused. This was so confusing. Last week he'd had a dad, dead or not. Now he had a Potions Professor. One who was acting very strangely.

"Oh. So…you know, then?" Snape coughed, looking out of place and uncharacteristically flustered.

"Yes. Did you?" Harry's throat still wasn't cooperating, so his voice was pretty weird.

"No. I received a letter from Lily at the same time you received one from James." Harry couldn't help but notice how the bat's voice softened just a bit when saying his mother's name.

There was a pause.

"Why are you here?" Harry wanted to know.

"Here? I live here," Snape sneered, sounding comfortingly like his old terrifying self.

"What are you doing here in the Hospital Wing?" Harry elaborated.

"Talking to you."

Harry glared at the man. "What were you_ planning_ to do when you came here?"

"While it is none of your business, if you must know, I was checking to make sure you hadn't suffered any long term effects of this. Also, Poppy needed more healing potions."

Harry was confused. Why on earth did Snape care what happened to him? Sure, the man was his father, but it wasn't like they were a _family_ or something. The man hated him. And he was pretty sure he still hated his professor.

Yes, Harry decided, he did hate the man. But still…a family. He'd always wanted to be a part of one. He hadn't had the chance, not since he was just a year old.

Harry thought about that family. Was that even still his? If James wasn't his father…if Snape was…then what was James? His mother's best friend? His honorary uncle? Well, one thing was for sure: His da - James would have been a much better uncle than his real one.

And was Uncle Vernon his only uncle, now that he thought about it? Did he have other family? Maybe who might not hate him? Was Snape an only child? Did he have grandparents?

"Is it true?" Harry asked, completely forgetting they hadn't been talking about that.

Snape nodded, "It probably is. I can't imagine Lily lying about something like that, and we were certainly engaged at one point in time."

Harry turned a little pale at that. Not only was the man his father, but…he and his mom had performed a…child producing action…even before they were married.

"You were not unwanted," Snape said curtly, without emotion, "Lily and I certainly wanted children. Many of them, in fact. It was just a bad time."

Severus ran his fingers through his hair nervously, deciding now was the time he'd have to tell his son everything. He couldn't hold anything back, not if he ever wanted a chance for mistakes to be mended. "It could have been a good time. I would have given up spying in a heartbeat if Lily had told me." He sighed. "But the past is the past. I've told Dumbledore my spying duties are over once you're healed. I'll be here if you decide to try this as it should have always been, or I'll understand if you decide it's been too long for old hatred to fade."

Severus turned on his heel and swept from the room. He had said far too much. He hadn't meant for his mask to slip so far. Honestly, he was still the bat of the dungeons. Emotions were unacceptable.

Harry watched Snape leave in shock. What was the greasy git talking about? He_ hated _kids. He hated_ him_. And now he expected Harry to believe that he was willing to be _Harry Potter's father_? That he'd given up everything on the off chance Harry might want to be his son?

Harry shook his head and fell asleep again. Being awake caused thought. And thought was something Harry couldn't deal with just yet.

444444444444444444444444

Severus pulled a pensieve out of his secret cupboard. He'd placed his memories of Lily in it long ago, so they wouldn't overwhelm him and so he could review them at will. He'd decided now was the time to go back and look at them. To see if there had been a clue.

_He was in his entryway, watching his younger self greeting Lily. _

"_Lily…" he'd breathed, and she'd stepped into the hall with him. _

"_Severus," she'd murmured, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. _

_He'd shut the door behind her, "What are you doing here? Where's that-" he'd paused for a moment, an annoyed expression on his face, "-Potter boy?" _

_She'd sighed, looking mostly resigned. She'd been expecting this. "Sev. Potter-James- is not who you think he is. Nor is he who you think he is to me." _

_He'd glared, but it wasn't very impressive. "You mean your fiancé? Your other fiancé? Oh, so he isn't what I think? You aren't marrying that-" his mouth moved for a moment, but no sound came out, "him?!" _

_She sighed and shifted her weight a little. Severus noticed now that one hand strayed to her stomach in discomfort, and that it was already slightly larger than usual. "I guess I deserved that. Particularly since I can't even tell you _why _this is the only choice." _

_He'd met her eyes. "You told me once, 'Saying something is the only choice only means you won't consider the others.' Is marrying me really such a terrible thought?"_

_A tear had formed in her green eyes, "Oh, Sev…no. Never think that. Never ever. But there's a reason…it wouldn't be safe for either of us or…someone else." She'd sighed again, her hand once more stopping at her middle, where it rested. "This is too hard. I thought it would be better if you thought I loved James, that maybe you'd move on. I can see that was silly."_

"_No-" Severus winced at his language. No wonder Lily wanted him to watch his mouth around their son. "-it was!" Then his eyes had softened just a bit. "Wait…what did you say about James?" _

_She had smiled, but the tears started to fall, "You didn't honestly think I loved James, did you? Didn't you listen to anything I told you in the last 9 years? James is doing this as a favor to me. And you, though he doesn't like to think about that."_

_They'd been moving closer together, unnoticed by everyone but their silent watcher. _

_They were so close. He'd been able to feel her semi-even breath on his chin. He remembered the feeling even now. _

"_Lily…" he'd breathed, "Can you tell me something?" _

"_What?" _

"_Can you tell me-honestly tell me-even now, that you love me?" Their foreheads had touched, and he envied his younger self. He remembered the wonderful electric shock. _

_When she had spoken again, there had been only a slight tremor in her quiet voice. "Sev…that is the one thing I will be able to honestly tell you until the day I die," She'd leaned closer, and their noses had touched, too. "Whether it's before or after you do."_

_He'd leaned closer this time, touching her lips with his. "I'll always love you too." _

Severus wondered why he'd been so quick to forgive her. So she still loved him. So she'd love to marry him. So she had a good reason. She'd still married James, still had what he thought was James's child. Why hadn't he hated her?

Severus went back through his memories, remembering the slight pause before Lily introduced Harry as her son. The way she hadn't answered when he'd asked if the baby was James's. He remembered other instances, like her illness soon before she left, her trepidation their last night together. The way she spent so much time away, and went to the doctor's office every week. When she'd come home, she'd always looked terrified and overjoyed, all at once.

He remembered seeing her touch her stomach on more than one occasion, and have weird mood swings. He remembered all the baby books she'd bought. He had assumed they were for later, but…they hadn't been. It all came together now, and Severus mourned that it had ever had to fall apart.

444444444444444444444444444444

_Harry was dreaming. He was sure he was, because Lily and James were there, and weren't they dead? He was also staring at them from the floor, and he thought he remembered being taller. _

_James swooped down and picked up baby Harry. He cuddled him to his chest, stroking his hair and rocking him a bit. Harry felt himself getting sleepy and wondered if you could fall asleep in a dream. _

"_It's all right, son. Mommy and Daddy are here." James murmured to him. Harry wondered what he was talking about. Had he been upset? _

_Lily looked sad and disapproving. "James, you aren't really his father, you know." _

_James held Harry close. "I know. But…he needs a father. And if Sniv - I mean Severus can't be here, I want to be able to be there for Harry."_

_Lily definitely looked sad now. "You're just setting yourself up for pain when Severus can know the truth."_

_James slowly started rocking Harry again. "I chose this. And if I ran from pain, I'd run from joy as well." He glanced at the baby. "I wouldn't be a very good Gryffindor then, would I?" _

_Harry reached his arms around the black haired man's neck, wondering who Sniv was. He knew Severus was his Mommy's friend, and that his Daddy had stolen something from him and felt bad about it. His Daddy usually ended up holding him after that, and telling him he loved him. Harry loved his Mommy and Daddy, too. He wondered if he loved Sniv. _

_Then his Daddy turned into a really tall man with cold black eyes and long black hair. Harry cried until the man looked down at him, eyes softening. Harry wondered where his Daddy went, but he was happy to be with the black man. His robes were soft and his arms were gentle. His eyes made little Harry feel safe and loved. He loved the black man too, and he decided his Mommy loved him too, because she was smiling at him tenderly and wrapped her arms around him. _

_With the black man rocking him and his Mommy stroking his hair, little Harry fell asleep. _

Big Harry woke up. Big Harry closed his eyes again, the dream fading to the back of his mind, where it would stay for a good long time.

4444444444444444444444444444

Severus woke up, one tear falling to the pillow. He supposed it was his own fault for thinking about this before bed, but he still longed for the feel of the tiny baby in his arms, slowly falling asleep. He wished Lily was there to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder. He'd lay his head on hers, just like in the dream, and they'd watch their son sleep.

But alas, it was not to be.


	5. Chapter 5: Truth

A/N- Ok, I'm SO sorry about this taking so long! But I've been busy, and then Breaking Dawn came out, and I've got writer's block...enough excuses. This is the last finished chapter so far, so from here 'till the end, I'll be updating the first Wednesday after each chapter is finished, ok? Thanks for all your awesome reviews!

Chapter Five

When Harry woke up the next morning, he felt better. His insides didn't hurt, nothing itched beneath his skin, where he couldn't scratch it. The potion Snape had left on his bedside table for Madame Pomfrey to make him drink must have done its job. Even his ribs and spine felt better, though the welts still burned.

He tried to get his glasses using the arm that wasn't in a heavy cast and revised his opinion. His spine still throbbed when he moved.

Harry decided he didn't really need his glasses just yet.

He fell back in bed, partially healed welts opening again. With a hiss of pain, Harry decided maybe he didn't need to move much just yet either.

Harry lay in bed for a few minutes, trying to remember something he was sure he'd forgotten. Something he thought was probably important. Eventually he gave up, bored with straining his memory.

He wondered who he got his short attention span from.

While he was sitting there, thinking about his incredibly confusing family tree, he got another reminder of just how strange it really was. One lock of long, silky, black hair flopped into his face, one that looked nothing like his short, messy hair. He reached up to examine in, trying not to move very much. One long, thin hand wavered into focus in front of his face. Harry could have sworn his hands used to be smaller and stubbier.

_Oh no, _he moaned inwardly, _I'm starting to look like Snape!_

The door creaked open, and a blue blob walked into the room. The silvery blur near the top made Harry assume it was Dumbledore.

The blob/Dumbledore walked over to Harry's bed, and slowly came enough into focus that Harry was pretty sure it _was_ Dumbledore.

Dumbledore broke out into a smile to see Harry awake, and said, "Harry! Welcome back! How are you feeling?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but, again, no sound came out. He coughed. "Better."

"Excellent!" the man exclaimed, as if nothing could please him more than having a student stay at school over summer because they were being hurt at home.

Then he sat on the edge of Harry's sheets and stared very hard at the boy. "What?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

"I…apologize for sending you there, Harry. If I had known…. I'm sorry," Dumbledore said.

Harry glared at his hands. "I tried to tell you before, Headmaster. You didn't think it was worth looking into," Harry shook his head, "But anyway, there's something someone wanted me to tell you."

If anything, Dumbledore stared harder. "What, Harry?"

He didn't answer, thinking about the last line of the letter.

_So good luck with your next year of school, and go to Remus or Dumbledore if you need to tell someone. _

His…James hadn't actually asked him to tell Dumbledore…just that he could if he wanted to. And Harry didn't want to. Besides, even if he did, he would have talked to Remus.

"Nothing. Sorry, sir."

Dumbledore watched him intently for a moment, then said, "Well, all right. Just know that my door is always open for you if there ever is."

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore continued to watch him. Harry squirmed unhappily. Dumbledore finally spoke, "Madame Pomfrey tells me you had quite extensive injuries, most of which have begun healing as she hoped. But she also says she'll have trouble setting many of the broken bones because they've grown since the break."

Harry said nothing.

"Harry, bones do not grow fast enough to change noticeably over the first half of a summer holiday. Are you quite certain you have nothing you wish to tell me?"

Harry nodded.

Dumbledore sighed and stood up. "Alright. If you ever decide that whatever it was 'someone' wanted you to tell me is something I should know, I'm always delighted to listen."

Harry smiled wryly to himself as he nodded again. He had no doubt that his headmaster would love to hear whatever he chose to tell him. _Meddling busybody, _he thought, _Too bad he's so brilliant, or we could all be annoyed by him and _tell_ him so. _

5555555555555555555555555555555

Later that day, Harry got yet another visitor. To his great surprise, he was glad to see his father. Honestly, he'd be glad to see _Voldemort_ if he was there to distract him from the impossible boredom.

Severus was disappointed to see Harry still in bed. The way Poppy healed, he'd have expected the boy to be up and about by early that morning. Also, he'd had some vague and unformed ideas about taking his son to Diagon Alley that day to get things from Lily's vault.

But then again, he supposed Harry really couldn't go out of the protection of the castle anymore anyway. Now that he was never to return to the Dursleys, the wards had fallen.

Severus idly wondered if it mattered that he was related to the boy as well. Would living at Hogwarts with him satisfy the wards? He'd have to ask Albus.

"Good morning, Harry," Severus said coldly, only remembering to harden his voice at the last minute. For years it had been second nature to speak the way a rock would after a good speech charm, but these days he found that he had to remind himself. It was strange.

"Er…good morning, Professor." Harry mumbled. Was he still supposed to call Snape 'Professor' or 'sir'? He sincerely hoped the man didn't want to be called 'Daddy' or 'Father'. That would be…awkward, to say the least. Seriously, it was awkward enough just looking at his professor without wanting to dispose of him in a very creative way.

"Are you feeling better?" Snape asked awkwardly after a silence.

"Um, yeah," Harry answered, "The, uh, potion must have, um, helped."

"Good,"

There was more silence.

"Professor…um…why are you talking to me?" Harry swallowed nervously. He was positive he was going to get pushed off the Astronomy Tower for that, but his stupid curiosity had to know.

"Why am I talking to you?" Snape snapped, "Boy, are you really as idiotic as you look?"

Harry growled. "Insulting James won't work anymore. In case you haven't noticed, I'm starting to look like you!"

Severus stopped mid-sneer. "What?" he whispered.

Harry held up his hands. "Look. They don't look like James' anymore. Or mine. They look like _yours_."

Severus looked down at his own hands. There were…similarities…he supposed.

"And my hair can actually be brushed now. It stays _flat._" Harry glared at his Potions Master like having hair that behaved was an Azkaban offense.

Severus looked at Harry's hair, noticing that it did indeed look reasonably decent today.

"Oh, yeah, and Dumbledore's on my case because I've grown since my bones broke. Thanks a lot for being tall!"

Severus just stared for a moment, one side of his mouth twitching. Harry looked at him in astonishment, then thought about what he'd said. Suddenly, both burst out laughing.

"You know-Harry-it's not really something-I can-control," Severus gasped between giggles.

"I-had no idea-you could laugh," Harry responded.

At that, Severus realized what he was doing. Seriously, he was Severus Snape for crying out loud! Laughing was unacceptable! He straightened quickly, coughed, and growled, "Oh? Well, many don't," and swept from the hospital wing.

_Alright then_, Harry thought, laying down to go back to sleep. All that laughing wore him out.

555555555555555555555555

Severus swept through the halls once again, now looking like an overgrown bat that'd been flying for a week without stopping. A _scared_ bat that'd flown for a week without stopping. And the fact that he was scared scared him even more.

When Severus reached his rooms, he immediately began preparing to leave. Yes, he couldn't take Harry with him, but he decided that he'd never get any answers if he waited until they could both go. No, today he was going to clean out Lily's vault, bring it all back to Hogwarts, and maybe the next day they could go through it together in the Hospital Wing, if Harry could move more.

Severus packed a small bag with all the essentials: potions, potions' ingredients, potion instructions, measuring cups…oh, and money. He still had the key in his pocket, so he didn't need to remember that.

The confused man quickly stalked to Hogsmead, then apparated to Diagon Alley.

555555555555555555555555

The place was packed. There were a few students there, getting supplies, but as there was still nearly a month until school started, shoppers were few. The crowd was mostly made of older witches and wizards (oh, and one witchard. Spell gone wrong, poor person) in colorful cloaks and robes. Severus happily faded into the background here, but made sure his 'menace' self was only just below the surface, in case he needed it.

The walk to Gringotts was uneventful, and all too soon Severus was in a cart, hurtling toward something he wasn't sure he'd ever be prepared for. This…this was going to assure him it was true. Not that he didn't believe Lily, but…after this, there could be no doubt about her truthfulness.

And if there's one thing mankind fears more than lies, it's the truth.


	6. Chapter 6: The Vault

A/N- I'm back! Hello all! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and everyone who read. You guys rock! The seventh chapter is partly written, so it might be up next Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Chapter Six

Severus tentatively opened the door to the vault. The goblin stood just outside. The door slowly creaked on its hinges. It was old and untouched for years. The door opened inch by inch as Severus peered around it. And suddenly….

There was the vault. It seemed to be stuffed full of paper. Piles of paper, stacks of paper, folders of paper, a few boxes that undoubtedly held paper. There were bookshelves covered with books, and books shoved in every spot Lily could find. There were a few boxes that can't have held paper, and one that could have, but Severus didn't think it did.

He carefully wandered through the minefield of parchment, going to the desk shoved in the corner. It was the desk he recognized as Lily's from Hogwarts. It had a few ink blotches on it, and more than a few owl feathers stuck in the places where the boards met. Lily probably could have cleaned them with a simple spell, but she once said she kind of liked them there.

There was also a note on the smooth wood top. It was addressed to him.

_Dear Sev, _

_So you got my letter after all. Good. I was worried. And now you know the truth. Harry is your son, and he will soon begin to look it. _

_I don't have much more to say, Sev. Just that I love you, and always will. _

_In the box by this desk is a pensive. It was hard to find one while in hiding, but I thought it'd be better if you could _see _why I did it. The memories are clearly marked, and there's a box of memories just for Harry, too. _

_One of these days I meant to clean this place so you could find everything, but that's obviously not going to happen. I think the boxes of pictures are by the bookshelves. Harry's papers should be in the drawers. And I have a gift for each of you. I'm sure you'll find it. You were always good at that. _

_As for the gift, you may not want to use it until your relationship with Harry is a little more…stable than it is right now. It could strain things, otherwise. _

_I'm sure you're also wondering why on earth I felt the need to leave you so much information. Trust me. You'll be glad you have it, soon. _

_Oh, and Harry's birthday gifts are all shrunk and in the small box next to this letter. Please enlarge them before you give them to him. _

_Well, Sev, I've run out of things to write. I hope you never need to find this letter. I'm sorry for abandoning you with our son. I love you both. Good luck. _

_-Lily_

_P.S. - Remember._

Severus banged his head on the desk. Fabulous. More secrets and surprises and vaguely alluded to disasters. Just what he needed.

66666666666666666666666666666

Harry woke up again, tired of sleeping. Tired of everything, actually. He finally asked Madam Pomfrey to bring him his trunk, so he could do his homework. He'd managed to finish some of it at the beginning of the summer, before things got too bad, but most of the work still remained.

Charms was done. He'd had fun with that one. Transfiguration had been started, but he'd have to rewrite it. His uncle had come unexpectedly, and he'd had to shove it under his bed. There were blood spatters on the margins. History of Magic still needed to be done, and Astronomy. Herbology didn't assign homework, and as the DADA teacher was lost in her own mind at the moment, they didn't have to do anything for that class.

Potions, on the other hand…Potions was complicated. What do you do when you find out the man you hate the most, the man who teaches the class you hate the most, is your father? The thing you've always wanted, more than anything else. What if he were your family?

Harry wasn't sure whether he still hated Snape, but either way he needed to make sure he did a really good job on his Potions homework.

_Ug. Snape is trying to destroy us via research, isn't he? _Harry wondered, _Or maybe he just wants to come up with something Hermione didn't already know about. _

Harry decided his Potions homework could wait until he could use the library.

He pulled out his History of Magic essay and got to work.

66666666666666666666666666666

Severus thought he'd look for the secret compartment first. Stuff like that was fun. He ran the delicate tips of his fingers over the wood, searching for cracks that could be part of a concealed drawer. He found none. Of course, he hadn't expected too. Lily was one of the brightest witches he'd ever met, she'd no doubt thought to hide things like that.

Next he cast a series of charms over the desk, to remove any simple spells she might have used. Again, there were none.

Now Severus was starting to get curious. He hadn't thought it'd be that easy, but he'd at least expected to find some sort of idea for what to do next.

He read the letter again, hoping for a clue. _Remember. _What could that mean?

Suddenly he snapped his fingers. _Of course! That's just the sort of thing Lily would do!_ He reached into his robes, pulling something from the neckline. One muttered charm, and it wavered into view. He held a tiny vial filled with a potion swirling with colors. The two most potent colors were deep rose red and midnight blue. He braced himself and let a drop of it fall on his finger.

6666666666666666666666666666666666

_There was a room, deep in the dungeons, that no one ever entered. No one, that is, except Severus Snape and Lily Evans. _

_Inside the room was a cauldron. It bubbled all day and all night, and finally it was done. It turned a clear jade. That night, when Severus and Lily snuck in after curfew, Lily gasped in triumph and a grin broke out on Severus' face. It was time. _

_They both leaned down over the cauldron, looked at each other, and released their breath. The potion swirled around and around, lifting from the cauldron to twirl in the air. Lily watched in awe and Severus reached over to take her hand. _

_The potion spun and spun, and with each step in its dance, the color faded a bit. When it finally splashed back down to the cauldron, it was a rainbow of colors. But two colors seemed brighter than the rest. _

"_Red," Severus smiled. "That's you." _

"_And you're blue," Lily added with a teasing grin, "I'd have thought you'd be black." _

"_No. Black is too Hufflepuff for my tastes."_

_Lily laughed and lightly hit his shoulder. _

66666666666666666666666666

Severus pulled himself out of the memory and dropped the potion onto his tongue.

66666666666666666666666666

_Memories from long ago, mostly against the backdrop of Hogwarts, flew by his eyes. Only one seemed to be set somewhere else. Severus plunged into that one. _

66666666666666666666666666

"Lily?" he asked.

The woman with the long red hair turned to him, her face lighting up. "So you did find it!"

"Lily," he moaned, his eyes filling with water. "Why'd you have to leave?"

She seemed to sadden immediately. "I'm so sorry, Severus. But…it had to be done. You understand now, don't you?"

"Lily, I would have given up spying in an instant. We could have gone into hiding. It could have been ok."

Her face fell. "I know. But this way both you and Harry are safe, and that's what counts. I couldn't risk it."

"But…"

"Severus, how much of the potion did you take?"

"Not much."

"Then we don't have much time. To find the gift, let one drop of the potion fall on the letter. They'll appear next to it. I love you. Always know that," Lily said briskly.

He nodded. "I love you too. Even now, years after your death."

She smiled sadly. "But don't let that stop you. Be happy. Even if it means someone else."

He cupped her cheek with one long, pale hand. "If I ever find someone, I promise I won't let them pass. But I don't think I will."

She let one tear fall down into his hand. "Just be happy."

He leaned down to kiss her one last time, and the potion ran out just as they pulled away.

66666666666666666666666666

Severus found himself back in the vault, his face wet. He allowed himself one moan of loss before snapping back to the present. _Ok. One drop of the potion. _He followed Lily's instructions, and grabbed the box that appeared next to the letter. He then carefully folded the letter itself and put it in his pocket.

Composing himself, he turned to face the vault. It suddenly seemed like too much to go through it all, so he walked through, shrinking everything and putting it in a box to take back to Hogwarts. That box he tucked under his arm. Turning to survey the room one last time, Severus nodded. It was empty. He had even brought the desk, as it was one of the very few things he had left of Lily. He spun on his heel and marched back to the goblin.

After a quick stop at his own vault, as he had no idea when he would next have the chance to come back, he left Diagon Alley.

666666666666666666666666666666666

Severus set the box carefully on the floor in his quarters back at Hogwarts, and folded himself to the ground next to it. He could sit on the floor if he wanted. There was no one there to observe this lapse of dignity.

He opened the box with even more trepidation than he'd opened the vault. He left things like the desk and the papers inside, but pulled out the smaller boxes and enlarged them. Finding the one that held the pictures, he stopped, his hand on the lid.

_What the heck. If I'm going to torture myself via memory today, I might as well do this properly, _he decided.

Inside the box were pictures of everything he could imagine. Even some of events he knew Lily couldn't possibly have had pictures of. He thought she must have used a pensive for them.

There were pictures of them as children, playing together innocently, no clue what they would become in only a few short years.

There were pictures of them as teenagers, at Hogwarts. Best friends, study partners, confidents, enemies, friends again, lovers. Everything they had been was documented here.

There were pictures of them as adults, graduating. Then as fiancées, learning about each other and how to make a relationship work.

There was a picture of them at their last meeting. Severus holding tiny Harry in his arms, eyes soft. Lily standing beside him, her hand on his shoulder. On the back were the words, _This is our family. _

Severus cried.


	7. Chapter 7: Presents From Mom

A/N- I'm sorry about the line break problem. I thought I had it fixed, but upon reexamining the issue, realized nothing had changed. Sorry. But…I think it's fixed now, and I've gone back over the rest of the chapters to fix it there.

Chapter Seven

When Harry finally finished his two rolls of parchment on how the Fairy Wars effected the Dark Ages and the Muggle Renaissance, he breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, it was painful to read about. That stupid fairy just _had_ to enchant the rats and kill off horrendous amounts of people during the plague. Now he could begin his Astronomy work.

The Astronomy teacher had gotten creative this year, or maybe just taken a page out of the Muggle school teachers' book. They had to build a model of the galaxy, including all the planets and their moons, and in the two weeks after school started but before it was due, they had to bewitch it to follow all the orbits and predict any events for the next year. Then they'd write a short essay about those events.

Harry thought Hermione would love it.

He also thought Ron would hate it.

He himself thought he had nothing better to do.

Just as Harry was putting the finishing touches on Jupiter's first moon, a dazed looking Severus Snape staggered through the door of the Hospital Wing.

"Harry?" he asked.

"Um…Professor?" Harry responded, putting down his model.

"I went to visit your mother's vault in Gringotts this afternoon."

"What? You…my mother's vault?" Harry protested. First, he had no idea why Snape was telling him this. Second, he was mad the bat had gone without him. And third, he was mad the bat had gone at all. It was _his_ mother's vault, after all.

"Yes. She left me the key in her letter and requested we go through some of the things together." Snape's tone suggested he would have a few choice words for Lily about this when he died.

"Oh. Um…ok."

Severus left his 'menace' face up, and summoned a table. It floated over to rest beside Harry's bed, and he set the box down on it. Back in his rooms, he'd gone through it to remove everything he didn't want Harry to see. He'd also removed things like the desk and the bookshelves and the mounds of paper that wouldn't mean anything to the boy.

Also, though he wouldn't admit it, he wanted something of Lily's that was just his.

"These are some pictures of the two of you when you were a baby, and James is in one or two of them as well. Also…" he paused, weighing how much he could trust his son. "Many of the pictures involve your mother and I when we were here, and afterwards. I need your word you will never show those to anyone."

Harry nodded and picked up another box. "I promise. What's in this box?"

"That one…that one has your things in it. Your birth certificate, the blanket you were brought home from the hospital in, a lock of your hair, some of your baby toys, things like that. Lily…" he looked at his hands, folded in his lap, "Lily thought I might want them."

Harry nodded slowly and pointed to something else. "What about that one?"

Severus' lips twitched a bit, and Harry jumped. It looked like the man had almost…smiled. Then he said, "Ah. That one holds 15 years worth of birthday gifts." He looked at his son. "Would you like them?"

Harry held his breath. Birthday gifts…from his mom? Yes, he wanted them! "Please," he stammered.

Severus enlarged the parcels and set them on Harry's bed. Then he sat back to watch.

The first gift, for his second birthday, held a Quidditch mobile, the kind someone would hang over a baby's crib, and a soft green blanket. Severus could see the emotions playing on the boy's face and decided that really needed to be fixed. However, he watched as the child rubbed the fabric gently against his cheek and ran his fingers over the mobile. The blanket was draped over his shoulders where he could still feel the softness.

The next gift was a stack of picture books with moving pictures and pop ups. Many featured small children on brooms. Severus saw the awe on Harry's face when he saw the pictures and frowned. Surely the boy had seen wizarding picture books before. They were set aside to be read later.

For his fourth birthday, Harry had received a broom. It was tiny, and only went a few feet above the ground, but Severus could see how much he loved it. There were also more books.

For Harry's fifth birthday, he got a set of wizarding modeling clay. He could mold whatever he wanted and then say a word to activate the spell. Then the molded thing would move. He also got a set of tiny clothes with animated logos. They were carefully folded and placed on his nightstand while the clay was left on the table, probably to be played with after Severus left.

The next package held a set of simple books a six year old would be able to read, and a larger book of fairytales that changed constantly. Both were set on the growing stack of reading material on the nightstand.

For his seventh birthday, Harry would have gotten a boxful of action figures that he could tell what to say and what to do. Each had its own voice. The boy set those on the table too, except for one witch with long red hair and green eyes that he left next to him on the bed. Severus wondered if he'd forgotten he was there.

The gift for his eighth birthday held something similar to a muggle video game, but he could put himself in the game and play alongside the characters. Like virtual reality games, in a way.

On his ninth birthday, there were more books. Chapter books and school books and anything else Lily could think of. It was obvious she'd hoped her son would be like her and his father.

His tenth birthday brought a large bag of sweets and a contraption that played music. Harry popped an interesting looking candy into his mouth and absentmindedly offered the bag to Snape. Severus declined.

His eleventh birthday was the one Severus had been waiting for. The year her son left for Hogwarts would not be like any other, not to Lily. Not to any wizarding parent. Severus smiled. Lily had given Harry a good stock of stress relieving potion and a map of the castle. Harry smiled too and set the potion on his bedside table. He thought he'd need it this year, at any rate.

For his twelfth birthday, Harry received his own set of chessmen, as well as more candy.

He continued opening the gifts his mother had left him, not noticing that the last candy he'd tried had given him wings.

His thirteenth birthday brought yet more books, big, thick books of stories or complicated potions and spells. He also got a warm black cloak.

For his fourteenth birthday, Harry found a selection of potions and descriptions of what they did. There were also a few charmed objects and such. Harry set them aside to look through later.

The second to the last package held an ever burning candle, one that would never burn him or set fire to anything, and a set of special potions tools and ingredients. Severus wondered where on earth Lily had gotten the idea their son would love potions as much as they did.

The final package was smaller than the others, but Severus was willing to bet it was the one Harry would love the most. He was not disappointed. Inside the tiny box was a vial of a rainbow colored liquid, one with red as the dominant color, and a trace of green winding around it.

Lily had given her son a memory. She'd given him the chance to meet her, if only for a little while. She'd given him a vial of the same kind of potion she and her boyfriend had made in their last year here, but she'd made it herself. She'd given him a moment with his mother.

Severus was certain Harry didn't understand the significance of the potion, because he set it aside without much thought. He decided he'd have to explain it later.

Suddenly Harry looked up from his mountain of gifts and wrapping paper to find Snape staring at him. He flushed.

Severus smiled just a bit, as much as he could manage, and said, "Lily expected me to take over birthdays once I knew."

Harry went pale, "Oh, um, you don't have to, I mean, this is enough, way more than I expected…I just wish I could say thank you."

Severus tapped the vial on the table with one long pale finger. "You can. Once you recover, you can use this potion to meet Lily, but you won't be able to stay long."

"Meet her? She didn't…preserve herself in a diary like Riddle did, did she?"

"Riddle? What? No, no. Someday I'll explain this potion, or you can read up on it yourself, but the basic idea is that it allows the user to travel to a point in time, back when the potion was brewed, and interact with the people living then."

Harry's eyes went wide. "I could tell her not to choose Wormtail for their secret keeper then! Why didn't someone think of this before?"

Severus was shaking his head. "No, no, Harry. It doesn't work like that. You can't change the past. You can't affect anything using this. It only preserves a moment in time forever, inside this potion. Whoever ingests it can travel to that moment in time only, but they would return to find everything exactly as it was. No one but themselves would remember the trip at all."

The black haired boy's face fell. "Oh. Ok. I just thought…"

Severus took a deep breath. "It's all right. I wish…but it doesn't matter. Wishes can't bring her back. Why don't I leave you to your birthday presents and we can finish going through this later?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on the red haired figurine he'd gotten for his seventh birthday. Severus did think it looked remarkably like Lily.

The tall man slipped out of the Hospital Wing, leaving the confused boy to his confusion.

77777777777777777777777777777777777

Harry found himself acting remarkably like a much younger child.

He hung the mobile above his bed and watched it for a while, curled up under his new blanket.

He spent the morning reading the picture books most wizarding children know by heart by the time they're five.

He played with his clay and action figures, all the while consuming his candy and not noticing the strange effects it had on his shape.

He read his book of fairytales and studied his map of Hogwarts.

He watched his broom hover just beside his bed and played his video game.

He read about spells and potions only Hermione would know at this age and listened to his music player.

He studied his potions tools, trying to figure out what they were all for.

He read about each of the potions his mom had brewed for him 15 years ago.

He observed the charmed objects, wondering what they did.

Harry amused himself for the rest of the day.

7777777777777777777777777777777777777

Severus Snape went back to his dungeon. He had a few things from Lily to play with too, but was more interested in the piles of books and parchment she had left him.

They were filled with odd bunches of information, some about the spell she'd used to disguise Harry (those were mostly written in on old and falling apart pieces of parchment, using strange spellings and word choices Severus didn't think made sense).

Some were about werewolves (mostly in newer books and collections of articles Lily had gathered herself), and they were interesting enough to make Severus desperate to run for his cauldron and start working on a better cure, or a spell, or something.

Why Lily thought he'd need those was beyond him.

At one point, Severus decided lunch was in order and made the long trek up to the Great Hall, where he got a surprise.

In a fit of absentmindedness, in Severus' opinion, he made a very bad decision and got hungry at the same time the rest of the staff generally took their meals.

But that wasn't the surprise. The surprise was the very weary looking brown haired man sitting next to Minerva and chatting animatedly about some form of prank he'd played in his school days, and Minerva was now allowed to give him ideas on ways to improve said prank.

Remus Lupin had returned.


	8. Chapter 8: Remus and the Squijuli

Chapter Eight

Harry was bored.

He was bored out of his censored mind.

Seriously, he could endure Voldemort, his relatives, giant spiders and snakes, trolls, merpeople, Umbridge, giants, the Ministry of Magic, and the weight of the world. Yet he was dying via Hospital Wing.

This was worse than History of Magic. At least then you were tired enough to sleep.

Harry heaved another sigh and reached back into the box of enchanted objects under his bed. He'd finished all his homework, and examined nearly all his gifts. After the second day of playing with his new stuff, he'd started getting bored with it. After the third day, he entertained himself with imagining Voldemort bursting into the Hospital Wing with all his Death Eaters, challenging him to a duel, and healing all his injuries in a second. Then Harry would use his previously unknown knowledge of curses to send Voldemort back to prehistoric times, where he could kill as many muggleborn dinosaurs as he wanted.

Then he spent some time coming up with names for his curse, trying to make up a spell that would do that, and imagining Ron and Hermione's reaction to his newfound brilliance.

Harry couldn't believe how pathetic that sounded.

His hand closed around a small sphere with a smooth surface, and he held it up to his face. It was blue, and it had green stripes and purple dots that moved around the surface. He didn't know what it did, but it looked cool and if he stared at it for long enough, the dots and lines would turn into pictures.

"Ah, the Squijuli."

A voice from a few beds down startled Harry and almost made him drop the Squige-i-ma-call-it. His head whipped around and he saw a familiar head of light brown hair limping down the aisle. "Remus! What are you doing here?"

Remus smiled weakly and said, "Professor Dumbledore needed a new D.A.D.A. teacher again. He was going to give the job to Severus and ask an old friend of his to be the Potions Master, but decided to kill two birds with one stone and bring me back instead."

Harry smiled, "Well, I'm glad to see you."

This time the werewolf managed a full smile. "It's always good to see you as well, Harry. I'd have come to see you earlier, but I only just heard you were here this morning. Why are you here? And what's wrong with your foot?"

"Uh…well, my leg is broken, and-"

"Broken? Poppy can heal broken bones in a heartbeat. What's really wrong?"

"She can fix normal broken bones in a heartbeat. But my bones…. I've grown a lot this summer is all."

Remus looked him up and down. "I'll say you have. You're much taller than I remember. And your hair! It's so…manageable! But you're avoiding my other question. Why are you here over the summer?

Harry frowned. "Well…it wasn't quite…I'm better off here. Safer."

The taller man looked from his face to his leg and back. "Someone was hurting you, weren't they?"

The color drained from Harry's face. "Yeah…um…my Uncle…wasn't happy about the Dementors…or the threats…."

The color from Remus' face joined Harry's in wherever such things go as he said, "Oh, I'm so sorry Harry. Are you ok? No, that's silly, of course you aren't, that's why you're here. Well, you will never go back there. Or to an orphanage. If you want to, you are always welcome in my home. The life of a werewolf isn't great, but you can live with me over the summer, and we'll get by. I can't believe someone would do that!"

"Thanks Remus, really, I'd love to live with you, but I'll be fine. And don't worry about it. I survived." Harry plastered a fake grin on his face, but it faded with the thought,_ I wonder how Remus will react to the situation with Snape?_ He frowned and asked, "Um, did you get along with Snape back in school?"

Remus sighed. "Is this about what you saw in his pensieve last year?"

"No, no, I just…wanted to know. He's here this summer too."

"Well of course. Most of the other professors go home during the summer, but Severus never did. I think he likes this castle so much that he can't resist being in it for a few months without any students to bug him."

Harry nodded. "Yeah…that fits. So did you two get along?"

Remus thought for a moment. "Sometimes. I don't think he ever really got along with anyone, except your mother. They were good friends all their years here, but they had a falling out after the incident you saw last year. Me? I suppose I never hated him like Sirius and James did. He wasn't a bad person, not really. Just annoying. And better than them at Potions. James hated him because Lily liked him. Sirius hated him because he was distantly related to the family he despised. Severus never liked me much, particularly not after he figured out my…furry little problem. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Why?"

"Well…there's something about me that I just heard about…and Sirius would probably destroy the castle if he found out-" they both flinched at the name, "-but my…James said I could tell you, and I need to tell someone, and I _really_ don't want Dumbledore to find out."

Remus blinked. "You can tell me anything, Harry. I promise not to destroy the Hospital Wing."

Harry bit his lip. "Good, because I want you to explain about this Squige-u-gull when I'm done."

"Squijuli. Squidge-jew-ly."

"Yeah, that. Anyway, I got a letter from my dad a few days ago, and that was the first I ever heard about Mom and Snape."

"You got a letter from…from James?" Remus breathed.

Harry realized he'd slipped up and called James his dad. "Um, yeah. You know, why don't you just read it. It's hard to explain, and…you might want to take back that promise about the Hospital Wing."

The other man chucked. "It's alright. I think I can restrain myself."

Harry handed him the letter with shaking hands and bated breath. Remus read the first two paragraphs and went pale. He grasped the letter with both hands and sniffed it._Yes, James wrote this. And there's some of Lily, and Harry…no. It can't be true. Harry smells too much like Lily to not be the son of her and James. _His breath started coming in gasps as he continued to read. A few paragraphs later, he held the parchment to his nose again. _Harry smells like James, too, doesn't he? Of course…well…he smells like blood, right now, and worry. And grease, and his own scent of clean air and clouds, plus some of Lily's scent, and…I guess he doesn't smell at all like James. There's someone else he smells like…who? _When he got to the end of the letter, he knew. It all made sense. Harry smelled like Lily, himself, and Severus. He also sniff smelled a little bit like butterflies, but that might just be the Squijuli.

Remus looked up at Harry, not noticing the tears on his chin or the distressed look in his eyes. He stared at the boy for a moment. The child nervously poked a bruise, not feeling the pain. Finally, when Harry was just about to tell Remus it was ok, he understood if he hated him now, the man lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug. Remus' arms hurt the cuts on his back, as well as the bruising on his shoulders, but Harry didn't care. Remus didn't care that Harry's arms were pulling the scars from the last full moon, either.

Remus pulled back and looked Harry in the eye. "It's going to be ok. Severus could be a good father, and he'd certainly never hurt a child. You'll…you'll be all right."

Harry chewed on his lip. "Are you…mad? That I'm not James' son? I'd understand if you were."

"Harry, of course not! You and I are the last Marauders now, regardless of who your father is. I don't only think of you as my best friend's son. You're Harry." He examined Harry's eyes. "And you are still James's son. He'll always be your dad. Even if you find a new one."

The smaller boy looked away for a moment, rubbed his eyes furiously with his uninjured hand, and then cleared his throat. "Thanks, Remus. Um…what did the Squidjewlie do?"

Remus smiled. "It's a Squijuli, Harry. Say it like one syllable. Your…um, James designed it, and Lily enchanted it. They only made three, I believe. I have one, and the other two disappeared. I always assumed they were destroyed with the house, but I see you've found one."

Harry nodded. "She gave it to me for my birthday."

The werewolf raised an eyebrow, gently tugged the globe from Harry's hands and held it up. "See how the lines and circles change positions? In a moment they'll form a picture of what you want to be at the moment. It's usually an animal. If it isn't, I wouldn't recommend using the device."

"Ok, but what does it do?"

"It helps you change shape."

Harry blinked. One long strand of silky black hair fell off the pillow and tickled his ear. "It does what?"

"It's a shape-shifter. After the surface looks like the animal or object you want to be just then, consciously or unconsciously, you can use a spell to change into it."

"Wow. That's cool! Like being an Animagus."

"No, not really. It's actually more like a wand, whereas being an Animagus is like having magical talents. Anyone, magical or not, can do magic with a good wand. Not proper magic, but magic just the same. If you're a wizard or witch, you can use magic, wand or not. Or at least, the really powerful, rare wizards can. With the Squijuli, anyone can change shape. But only when they're holding it. An Animagi can transform at anytime, and no one can stop them, unless they know the very complicated set of charms to prevent it."

Harry nodded slowly, his head spinning a bit. He didn't think that was a great analogy, but it got the point across. "What does it become when you hold it?"

Remus smiled, handed the globe back to Harry and stood up. "That, my boy, is a secret. Maybe I'll tell you someday. We'll see." He tucked the edges of the blankets more securely around his surrogate son and said, "Why don't you rest for a while, and maybe play around with a few more of your new toys. I could look for Lily's notes on the Squijuli if you want me too. She could explain it better than me, and if you like the device, you could make more." He laughed quietly. "I bet the Weasley twins would love to get their hands on these."

Harry grinned, his own mind already reeling with the possibilities and said, "I'll bet they would." Just before Remus left the Hospital Wing, Harry called, "Remus, wait!"

"Hm?" the man said as he turned.

"Uh, I was just wondering if you knew about anything else my mom invented," Harry said as he fiddled with the Squijuli.

Remus smiled softly. "Of course. I helped with a few of them. She would often ask me for help when she needed to create strange charms and spells, and she would give me a copy of the finished product in return." He studied Harry's face for a moment before continuing, "Would you like the notes?"

Harry lit up. "Yeah! I'd like that a lot! Could you?"

The brown haired man chuckled. "Of course, Harry. I'd have to spend some time looking for them, but I'll bring them to you as soon as I find them, ok?"

Harry smiled and nodded, and when Remus looked back just before he slipped between the doors, he saw the boy examining the Squijuli closely, his nose almost touching the smooth surface.

Remus had been far more disturbed about the abuse than he'd seemed. How could he not have known? How long had this been going on? Was it why Harry never seemed very confident and blamed himself for everything? Would he recover? Remus himself didn't know very much about abused children. He'd done some reading after befriending Sirius, but the books couldn't tell him much. Particularly because abuse was rare in the wizarding world. Most valued their offspring and needed them strong in order to carry on the family lines. Or, some loved their kids. Like the Weasleys. And Lily and James.

He was also a little disturbed by the fact that Snape was his favorite student's father. Harry's father. It was just a bit unnerving.

But he couldn't tell Harry any of this. Harry needed constants now. He'd never had a family, his guardians hurt him, his Godfather was dead…Remus rubbed irritably at his eye. He missed Sirius. The last of his best friends. Unless…but even she was probably dead by now. He knew Harry needed him to just always be there for him, showing unwavering support and guidance.

Remus thought he probably needed that too. A reason to get out of bed in the morning. A reason to keep eating and walking around and breathing. Something important, that only he could do. But Remus tried to convince himself that this was all for Harry. Otherwise he felt too selfish.

With a decisive nod, the brown haired werewolf picked up his pace and walked purposefully to his quarters, where he would prepare to begin his search for Lily's notes.

This was best for everyone. It was why Dumbledore had brought him back, after all.

A/N- Hello all! Well, the previous chapters have been edited. Remus didn't appear until the end of last chapter now. I don't like the rescue chapter as much without him, but he was needed for this little scene. So…what'd you think? Please, tell!


	9. Chapter 9: The Blind Girl

Chapter Nine

A/N- I had been thinking of the abuse as just a way for Severus to see that Harry isn't pampered and catered to, as well as a way to get Harry to Hogwarts over the summer, but some other fanfics and some common sense tell me it would be far to traumatic to just disappear afterwards. So, here's some help for our favorite Boy-Who-Continues-To-Live-Despite-The-Odds.

Sometime the next day, Madame Pomfrey decided that Harry could be released from the Hospital Wing on three conditions. He would stay in the castle at all times, he would use crutches and never put any weight on the leg that had been broken, and he would come directly back if anything hurt or bothered him at all. He had no intention of following through on the last one, but didn't want anyone to worry.

Harry wandered unsteadily through the maze of corridors. He thought this would be an ideal time to do some exploring. After all, there weren't any students in the school now, and he had hours and hours to while away.

On the fifth floor, he found quite an interesting room. It had a comfortable desk and chair, along with shelves full of all sorts of books. Harry was tempted to stay and read the mystery he found about a quidditch scandal, but then he thought about what Ron would think if he spent the summer reading, or what Hermione would think if he spent the summer reading a fiction book. So he crutched up to the sixth floor.

There he found a number of hidden corridors and hallways hidden behind tapestries. However, he didn't stop until he came across a room with a girl inside. The room seemed pretty simple. It was silver and gold, but had a few green, red, blue, and black colors built in as well. It was about the size of a small classroom, and the space was filled with five soft armchairs and pillows. There were tables placed about the room at random intervals, and a cauldron was bubbling in the corner.

But the most interesting part, to Harry at least, was that there was someone else in the room with him.

The girl was about his height, or about as tall as he remembered himself, and she had long brown hair and cloudy green eyes. She had on Hufflepuff colors, and seemed to be about his age or a little younger. There was a book on her lap as she sat in the chair farthest from the door, but she ran her fingers along the pages instead of looking at it. Her eyes were staring somewhere past the wall to the right of where Harry stood.

"Come in," she said quietly, still not looking at him.

Harry jumped. He had nearly forgotten the scene was real and not a picture or a tapestry.

She waited for a moment longer and then said, louder, "I know you are there. Come in and sit down."

Harry waited a moment longer before stepping inside and sitting in a chair near where the girl sat, but not right next to her. She never looked up from the wall, though her fingers stilled above the book, and when Harry looked over at it, he didn't see words, like he was expecting. Actually, he didn't see anything at all. If he looked closer, there were shadows that made it appear as if the page had texture, but he quickly discarded that thought when the girl spoke again.

"I am Linette Sparks. Who are you?"

Her voice was soft but not in a way that made him think her question was a question at all. Her tone seemed to imply strength and force of will, as well as independence and wariness. Harry thought she sounded like she was the most powerful person in the world, but was still afraid.

"I…don't know." Harry ran his hands through his long, soft hair nervously, a bit scared himself.

She seemed to soften a bit, perhaps hearing that the intruder was a child like herself, and would not hurt her. Perhaps she heard that he had been hurt himself.

"What is your name?"

"Harry," he said. He didn't want to lie anymore than he already had unknowingly, and he wasn't sure which of his names was the lie.

"Hello Harry. Why are you here?" She nodded at him, and looked at a spot just beyond his shoulder.

Harry turned around, and, seeing nothing, turned back. "Why are you here?"

She smiled and giggled softly. "I am here because I live here. Now," she stiffened and the wary look returned to her eyes, "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

He flinched. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why she talked that way, perfectly pronouncing everything and never slurring any words together. He thought it sounded kind of old fashioned, in a way. "I was just exploring the castle and then…I found this room."

She nodded. "Few find me here. This room is not revealed to everyone."

Harry watched her quietly before saying, "What was that book you were just reading?"

She held it up for his inspection. He couldn't see anything but those shadows and what looked like blank pages. "It is written in Braille. You probably will not be able to read it."

Harry knew what Braille was. There had been a boy at his elementary school who read using it. Dudley and his gang had only picked on that boy once or twice before he proved to them that just because he couldn't see where they were didn't mean he couldn't punch them pretty hard. "You're blind, then?"

Linette nodded, "Yes. And you have a broken leg, do you not?"

"Yeah. How could you tell?"

She smiled and set her book on the table next to her chair. "You walk with three legs. Will it heal soon?"

He decided he knew sort of what she'd said and not to bother asking. "Pretty soon. It's just been a problem because my leg grew before it was set."

"Really?" She looked interested. "How did that happen?"

"It's…a long story."

"I am all ears." She smiled again. "Seriously. Without my eyesight, my hearing has gotten far better."

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to tell anyone about his secrets, but decided he must be dreaming anyway, since no one else was in the school just then. "My uncle broke it."

She nodded seriously. "Ah. My father broke my arm once."

He searched her face and whatever he saw there let him tell more. "Then he did other things. And my cousin, too."

"You live with them?"

"Yes. My parents died when I was little."

"Ah. And how did the bone grow so fast?"

Harry watched her a while longer. He didn't want pity. He wanted it all to go away. But she seemed to be asking partly out of concern, but more like she just wanted to know how that had happened. Harry didn't know why, but it felt like she wasn't pressuring him to talk, and so he did. "The spell my mom put on me when I was born wore off. It was…to hide who I really was. Now I'm starting to look like I would've if…well, if things had been different."

"A spell? Which spell? I have been here so long I know most of them."

"I don't know what it is, but…wait, what do you mean? How long have you been here? Why?"

Linette answered, her voice very soft. "That is a story for another time. But I have been here for a long, long time. Longer, perhaps, than you will ever know."

Harry decided that if she didn't want to tell him, he probably didn't want to know. "Ok…um…so what do you do here when the rest of the students are gone?"

She grinned. "I will show you."

And they spent the next few hours speeding up and down the staircases in a closed off wing of the castle, riding broomsticks around the high ceilings, and doing other things that were not only forbidden for Harry, but also not really allowed even for perfectly healthy students.

Harry had the time of his life.

"Oh no! I've got to go, or Madame Pomfrey will have my head!" Harry exclaimed as he took the spell off his crutch that made it float just above the floor and move like a muggle surfboard.

"Oh dear. I am sorry. I did not realize how late it had gotten. Well, if you have time later, come visit me. I hardly ever leave the room you found me in, and I have more ideas for activities we could try."

"Ok! What sort of ideas?"

Linette smiled, but it had a mischievous edge to it that countered the prim and proper way she spoke. "Have you ever been picture surfing?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Wow! I'll be sure to come, as soon as possible! See you then," he called as he crutched down the hallway.

As he reentered the used area of the school, he realized that he hadn't thought about Uncle Vernon or pain or being afraid since the girl had started playing with him.

_Yes_, Linette thought as she watched him go, _He is definitely the one who called me here. _

Then she traveled back to her room much faster than anyone else could hope to.

999999999999999999999999999999999

"Pot-er, Harry!" a voice snapped, though the effect wasn't nearly as terrifying as it would normally have been. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Harry spun around to see a black cloud descending upon him, almost falling over in the process. As the shock wore off, the cloud turned into Professor Snape. Or…his _father_.

"Well?" Snape demanded.

"Um, I, well, Madame Pomfrey said I could start using crutches today, so, um-"

With a sigh, Severus cut the boy off. He thought he had the general idea. "Alright, alright. So you have permission to be out of bed. Whatever Poppy did or did not say, why are you so far from the Hospital Wing, and near my dungeons?

Harry looked around. "Oh, um, I hadn't realized we'd come so far, I was just heading back-" he stuttered.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "We? Who else is here?"

Harry paled, one hand shaking. "Uh, no one, I, um, slip of the tongue."

Severus glanced at the hand that vibrated and saw how hard it seemed to be for the child to hold himself up. "You seem to be far too tired to be all the way over here, at any rate, no matter who is with you. Come. Back to bed with you." He waved his wand, and Harry suddenly rose a few inches off the ground, and began floating down the hallway.

He struggled, thrashing back and forth, barely noticing when one of his crutches fell. "What are you doing? Put me down! Where are you sending me?"

"Back to the Hospital Wing, Mr….well, back to the Hospital Wing. Are you deaf as well as crippled?" Severus was flustered, something he rarely experienced, and was trying to cover it with his usual sarcasm. What was he supposed to call the boy now? He obviously wasn't 'Mr. Potter', but he wasn't really 'Mr. Snape' either. And 'Harry' simply did not carry the desired malice.

Severus watched Harry floating in front of him, and saw the child stop moving, seemingly resigned to being helped. Or perhaps just exhausted, as he fell asleep in midair a moment later.

The most feared and hated professor in two centuries allowed a tiny smile to crawl across his lips, seeing his son there. It wasn't a typical father-son moment, perhaps, but they were Severus Snape and Harry Potter. 'Typical' was _not_ going to happen.

A/N- well, you should see more of Linette in later chapters, and don't worry, she and Harry will not have a romance. She has her reasons. And the way Snape acted may have puzzled some of you, but he is still Snape. He doesn't hate Harry anymore, but he can't go from being himself to being the kind and loving father Harry dreams about in only a week. Maybe he can't at all.

Well, life is likely to get much more interesting, and not in a good way, because school starts on Tuesday. I have to walk a few blocks within five minutes to get to my French class. I look forward to the detentions I shall receive for being tardy. So um, I'll post when I can.

Au revoir, and thanks for reading!!


	10. Chapter 10: Answers

Chapter Ten

It was nighttime in their little corner of the world. They were in hiding, and it was impossible for anyone but Peter, Remus, or Sirius to find them.

Lily was asleep. It had been a hard day, and it was late. Harry was getting bigger, and more like James every day. More likely to cause trouble.

James was blearily laying down beside his wife. His day had been hard too, and Harry had only just consented to be left in his crib. It was only on the other side of the room, as they couldn't bear to have him farther away in these uncertain times, but he still wanted them closer.

"Sev…" Lily murmured in her sleep when James put his arms around her unconsciously. He squeezed his eyes closed and bit his lip, and seemed grateful when Harry started fussing again.

Harry didn't know what his mommy had said, and he didn't understand the shadow that crossed his daddy's face when he heard it. But he wanted his daddy, because he was sure something was wrong, and he was worried.

He didn't understand why his daddy's heart felt funny when he lifted him out of his crib, or why he cradled him to his chest. He did understand why his face was getting wet, though. It happened sometimes when he felt sick or was hungry and his mommy and daddy just didn't understand. Now the wetness was coming from his daddy's eyes, and he wondered if his daddy was hungry or sick.

"Oh Harry…" He was startled when his daddy started talking to him, since they usually just held him and murmured songs into his ear when he cried at night. "I don't understand. Why Severus? Why not…" His daddy stopped, and Harry's face got wetter.

"But it doesn't matter," James said quietly. "I have you now, and for however long it lasts, I plan to cherish you. And Lily…as long as she's happy, I can just…" He stopped.

Baby Harry wrapped his tiny arms around his daddy's neck, holding tight to try to make his daddy feel better. He didn't understand that he helped all he could just by being there, and that by being there he made his daddy hurt almost as bad as if he weren't.

James shook with a silent sob only his son felt, and held his baby closer.

1010101010101010101010101010101010101010

Harry woke to feel a tear on his cheek, and for a moment he wasn't sure whether it was his or James'. The moment passed, and he remembered James would never shed a tear again.

Harry added another fact to his mental checklist of confusing things about his parents. James had been in love with his mother. And probably always was.

Harry wondered what would have happened if Severus had died in the war and his mom and James had survived. Would he have siblings who didn't look very much like him? Would he have an adoptive father? Would the fake marriage have turned into a real one, with romantic love on both sides?

What if they had all survived? Would he have siblings with dark hair and eyes, and the same long hands he now had? Would he have known his father before he came to school? What would James have done?

What would anyone do?

1010101010101010101010101010101010101010

Severus woke with a tear as well, but it was a different kind of crying. He wasn't thinking of James. He was thinking of Lily. She'd…still wanted him…even when she had James.

He'd been partly hurt that she chose James in the first place. He hated James, and Lily got along with the wolf just fine. He didn't really want the wolf raising his child, but it was better than Potter or Black.

He'd also been partly worried that she'd been won over by James after the marriage, whatever she wrote. She could have just told him that. Lily was remarkably Slytherin for a lion. But no. She'd still associated the touch of the most sought after boy in school with his. Potter's hurt or no, that felt good.

Severus went back to sleep with a smile on his face for the second night in sixteen years.

1010101010101010101010101010101010101010

The next day, Harry returned to Linette's room. It took some persuading of Madame Pomfrey, and some searching, but eventually he found her, staring into space.

She must have heard him come in, because when he sat down, she turned to look in his general direction. "Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Linette. What were you just doing?" Harry asked.

She smiled softly. "Just remembering. There are things worth remembering, though they are few."

Harry watched her, wondering what she meant.

"You said your Uncle broke your leg? Tell me what happened?" she said quietly.

Harry coughed, "Um, well, ok. But only if you'll tell me how your dad broke your arm."

"Alright."

"He…just broke it. Snap. One day when he felt…everything else wasn't enough. It…just cracked. That was near the beginning of the summer."

"Everything else?" She said it like it was a foreign word she was trying out.

"The stick. And his fists. The stick was worse. Bruises…I've had worse, though less of them and they didn't last as long, but the sting and cutting of my flesh…it hurt." He looked away.

Linette patted his arm. He flinched. She sat back grimly. "I know. My dad used to do that too. But his favorite was the bat. We were Muggles," she murmured, never wavering, eyes expressionless.

Harry listened, understanding more than he wanted too.

"But I do not think about it much any more," Linette said. "It was long ago, and my bruises and bones have healed. I've had time, and my mind has healed as well, as much as it can." She shrugged. "It was horrible, but it is over."

10101010101010101010101010

Severus spent the day thinking, something he did every once in a while, just to clear his head. Think though all the thoughts that'd been building up.

Today, most of those thoughts were about Harry, Lily, or himself. One or two were about James.

He would have to open up a bit if he wanted to reassure Harry that he was safe and wanted. He knew these would be fears the boy would have, after all, he'd had them himself when he was a child. Still did.

He might have to tell him about James. And Lily, for sure. Probably even the mutt and the wolf. At least he was unlikely to ask questions about the rat, but that was a small comfort.

Severus sat in his lab all day, occasionally working a bit on a new potion he was developing for Harry, to set the broken bones to healing faster, bust mostly just mulling everything over. He knew he'd have to have a talk with Harry as soon as possible, and it was not going to be fun.

101010101010101010101010101010101010

Harry went back to the Hospital Wing, mind whirring. Linette had been right, in a way, but his mind hadn't had time to heal. Did he need it? He thought back to how he'd flinched from Linette even though he knew she wouldn't hurt him, and how much he'd hated being touched while being treated, but not having any choice but to endure it.

Yes. He probably did need time to heal.

As Harry passed the dungeons on his way back from Linette's room, he never noticed the shadow following him.

101010101010101010101010101010101010

Severus was working in the lab when he felt someone pass through his domain. This way of being able to tell when someone was in the dungeons did little good during the school year, but served as an early warning system during the summer whenever Dumbledore wanted to have 'tea' and a 'chat'. Meddling fool.

A furtive peek out of the room showed him a tallish black haired boy on crutches slowly moving down the corridor.

Severus quickly checked the potion, which needed to stew for a day and a half anyway, and carefully slipped out of his lab to follow his son.

He tailed the boy back to the Hospital Wing, ready to help if he started to collapse, bust mostly just waiting until he was back in his bed so he could answer the questions he was sure the child would have and he wouldn't want to answer.

Harry slid under the covers with a grateful sigh. He didn't want to seem weak, but that's how he felt just then. Everything hurt. And he was tired.

Severus watched the boy settle down, wondering if perhaps this should wait a day or two, until he was better rested._ And until Severus himself was better prepared._ But then Harry pulled 'Quidditch Through the Ages' out from under his pillow, and Severus decided there were far better things he could do with the time.

"Harry."

The black haired boy dropped the book in surprise, whirling to face Snape as he stepped from the shadows. "What?"

Severus swept over to the bed and sat gracefully and stiffly on the chair beside it. "I believe you had questions to ask me?"

Harry gulped. Of course he had questions. His Potions professor was now his father, and becoming so had actually involved his mom. Of course he had questions. But were they questions he could ask without failing Potions or being poisoned?

He decided he might as well take a chance, since he didn't have an awful lot to lose, whether Snape murdered him or not.

"Yeah, um, I was wondering…well, could you tell me…about my mom-"

Severus sighed and cut the boy off. He didn't really need to hear the question, because he knew what the boy wanted to know, but spewing his memories when asked was somewhat more dignified than doing so out of the blue.

"You want to know how I tricked her into loving me." Severus' voice was dull and flat, emotionless.

"What? No, I just, well, sort of-"

"I did not trick her in any way. She…" he paused. "She had many chances to back out."

"So…how did you two, um, you know, fall in-" Harry seemed to choke on the word 'love', so Severus just started talking.

"We grew up together."

Harry frowned. "But…she was a muggleborn, wasn't she? And you're a Slytherin."

Severus sighed. "Alright, first, being a Slytherin does not automatically make me evil, or against muggles, or muggleborns, or anything of the sort. It just makes me hate Gryffindors."

Harry gulped.

"Second, amazingly, you're right. She was a muggleborn. And I was a half-blood, as are you. Regardless, we grew up together."

Harry said nothing.

"We both lived within easy walking distance of a park," Severus began, feeling himself slipping into better times. "We were, well, not exactly friends. But she was always…kind to me, even if her sister wasn't. And it was I who told her about magic.

"Her first magic was at age eight. She flew off a swing, far higher than any normal person would have been able to. And I…told her about our world. At first she didn't believe me, but when she made flowers open and close, flying around her head when there was no breeze, she asked me to explain it again.

"We spent a lot of time together after that. As far as either of us knew, we were the only wizards for miles around. We played at the playground, and I told her about Hogwarts, and smuggled books from my mother's library for us to read. When we got our Hogwarts' letters, she was the first I told."

Harry wondered what a childhood spent reading and talking and playing with a friend was like.

"Then we arrived on the train, and things changed." Harry could have sworn Snape's voice faltered for a minute, but said nothing. "She became a Gryffindor, and I a Slytherin. Things were never the same again, even after we got over the house rivalries to become friends again."

Severus sighed. "By then we were too different. Too grown up. We'd lost the simplicity of having someone to just trust with everything. I don't know if either of us ever trusted that way again, though Lily put up a better show than I did."

Harry sat back against his pillows, wondering if Snape had forgotten he was there. He couldn't imagine the man saying things like this when someone was listening.

"We grew. We learned. I loved her. Later, she loved me too. No need to describe anything more there. We were engaged, and she started acting strange. I thought…well, not at the time, but after…I thought that was when she was seeing James.

"She left. You were born. And then she died."

Severus had been staring off into the distance, but then he focused on Harry. "She visited me once. And brought you." He looked away. "I hated you. Almost as much as I hated James."

"Why did you hate me?" Harry whispered.

Severus seemed to go back in time again. "You should have been _mine_." Then he shook his head, coughed, and stood up. "I think that's enough for one day. Sleep well."

Harry stared after the man he'd hated for so long for a few minutes. He realized he didn't really hate him much any more.

10101010101010101010101010101010

Severus walked back to his dungeons briskly. He had to force tears away, bend them to his will as he'd been doing for years. He slowly readied himself for bed, and settled in the king sized four poster. One glance over at where he'd always thought Lily would sleep softened his will, and they escaped.

Severus said a bad word, but then put his head in his hands and let himself cry himself to sleep.

A/N- Well...I'm really sorry it took so long to update. School and all...but no detentions! And I can now introduce myself and sing the ABCs in French! Anyway, A tout a l'heure!


	11. Chapter 11: Stories

Chapter Eleven

Harry slept restlessly. His dreams were full of confusing relationships between his parents, and an ancient hatred from 30 years ago that still effected him now.

When he awoke, he decided he needed to hear the rest of the story.

For the first time, Harry went searching for Professor Snape.

He found him in the dungeons, his black robes wrinkled, one long hand feverishly stirring a cauldron, the other sprinkling some sort of dust into it. If he'd been chanting something, he would have been the perfect picture of a creepy old warlock from a muggle tale. Though now that he thought about it, there was some strange muttering coming from that general direction. Harry leaned closer, and caught not Latin phrases but random words such as "Lily", "child", and "mine". He also thought he heard desperate pleas of "Why?" thrown in every once in a while.

Harry leaned against a wall, resting his tired muscles from the long trek down from the Hospital Wing. He was astounded and a little worried that Snape hadn't heard him arrive, as the man had always seemed so in control and aware of everything.

Severus didn't know Harry was there, though his sense of who was in the dungeons should have warned him. He was too absorbed in his work, something that didn't happen often. Actually, he was more absorbed in his thoughts, the ones that kept morphing into mutters.

Severus finished adding the crushed Merperson scales, and stirred counterclockwise twice more before ending in a figure eight and dropping in the Swigger twig. The potion turned a bright purple and emitted a puff of the most horrible smell. He nodded in satisfaction. It was coming along nicely.

When he stood up, he finally noticed Harry standing against the wall. He froze, wondering how much of that the boy had heard. He didn't quite know, because the child was slumped over, head resting on his crutch, eyes closed.

Severus bit his lip, walked over, and steeled himself. Then he reached out a long, thin finger and poked Harry, pulling it back immediately after. He hadn't touched him since he'd brought him to Hogwarts. And that had been the first time he'd touched anyone in a very long time.

Harry jerked awake silently, flinching from the place he'd been poked. Severus frowned, wondering if there'd been a bruise there, and why it still hurt. He decided to ask later.

Harry almost toppled over, unsteady on his crutches, but Severus caught him. The second he was upright again, Severus let go, mortified at having touched the child_ twice_ in as many seconds.

"What are you doing here?" Severus demanded once the boy had recovered from his arms supporting him. He'd flinched from that too.

"I just…I just wanted to hear more about…well, about you and Mom," Harry stammered.

Severus closed his eyes in exasperation, though inwardly he was wondering what on earth he could tell Harry. "And what makes you think there _is_ any more?"

Harry actually managed a feat no other student had even attempted in years. He stared straight into Severus' eyes. "We both know that can't be all there was to the story."

Severus sighed, his mind still racing. "Very well. But you certainly are not well enough to be standing there for the duration of your 'story', as you put it. We shall go to my quarters to discuss this."

Harry was a bit apprehensive about going to Snape's rooms, just because they were _Snape's_. Seriously, what if he had some sort of evil pet that was going to eat anyone who didn't have greasy hair?

That sounded like something Snape would do.

Severus led Harry through a few dimly lit passages until they arrived at a tapestry showing one star on a pitch-black night. No moon, just one not very bright star.

Harry thought it fit.

He didn't know quite what Snape murmured to the tapestry, but it opened, and he was led down a hallway with no light at all. He could only follow the sound of Snape's robes brushing the walls.

When they came to the painting Severus wasn't sure if he wanted Harry to see, he didn't bother with a 'Lumos' charm. He just whispered, "Lily," to the picture of his once fiancée that hung there. He didn't need to see her swish her long red hair aside to look at him, smile, and gently open without even a creak to know she was doing so.

Harry almost bumped into Snape when he paused to whisper something into the blackness, but stopped just in time. Then he heard the quiet whoosh and felt the slight breeze of a portrait opening.

He stepped into another pitch black space, but for some reason it felt bigger than the hallway. Then Snape swished his wand and lights sprung to life all around the room.

Harry looked around in approval. Yes, the room was mostly dark colors, grays and blacks, with maybe some dark blue, but it wasn't silver and green, and there weren't pickled hearts in jars on shelves, nor was there a man-eating creature who didn't like the taste of grease.

Harry decided it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected from his father.

Severus relaxed as soon as he entered his chambers. They were home to him, after all. No matter how much he hated the castle, after everything he'd loved was gone, even after everything he'd endured within its walls, Hogwarts was still his home.

Severus settled into a worn armchair beside the fireplace. It immediately burst into flames, and Harry could feel the soft heat waft past him.

Snape sent a glare toward Harry, and he quickly hefted himself over to the armchair that wasn't worn, sitting down warily.

Severus had decided on the walk over what he wanted to say. "You asked about your mother."

"Ye-yeah."

"Your mother was many things. Bright, and happy, and strong, and intelligent, and more loyal than a Hufflepuff. She was kind to everyone, and the only one the first years - of any house - trusted with their problems. She was passionate, and fierce enough for it to be a fault. She was also shy, and quiet, and she knew when to speak and when to be silent." Severus chuckled a bit, a sound that made Harry jump. It sounded…nice. "Even Filch didn't hate her nearly as much as he hated the rest of us."

"She hated James Potter. Remus Lupin was one of her best friends. She was also close to a Hufflepuff in our year. I believe her name was Leeanna DeLune. Lily knew she was a werewolf."

Harry's eyes opened wide at that. He wondered if Remus knew he wasn't the only werewolf his age.

Severus sneered. He still hated the wolves. Both of them. "She liked Muggle music. I suppose it comes from being raised as one. Something called Country was her favorite, though I thought it sounded much too muggle when she made me listen to some of it." He scoffed. Wizards didn't twang like that.

"She could never wake up in the morning, but somehow she managed to act alert and cheerful. Pepper-up potion, I suppose. And she loved treacle tart." Severus sighed, remembering how he still flavored most of his potions the way she used to.

"She was best at Charms, but quite brilliant at Potions as well. Terrible at Astronomy, though. Somehow, she just couldn't remember where all the stars were supposed to be, or the names of moons."

Harry wondered how people _could_ remember that.

"She wanted kids. Badly. She used to talk about it, sometimes, when we were little, but every little girl wants babies. When we were older, it had more weight, but even then I blamed it on hormones."

Harry went a little red at the thought of his mom's hormones.

"She was…Merlin, she was everything."

Harry wondered if his professor often forgot people were there, because he seemed to have done so again.

Suddenly something occurred to Severus. "Have you ever seen a picture of your mother?"

Harry nodded. "Hagrid gave me a photo book in first year. But…it was…burned, this summer."

Severus frowned. Those Muggles. He hoped Minerva had done something lasting to them. "Did you look at the pictures I left you?"

Harry blinked. "No. I'd forgotten about them, with the presents and all."

Severus shook his head. Typical Gryffindor.

"Well, why don't we look through them now?"

"I…don't have them."

"Are we wizards or not?" Severus asked coldly, one eyebrow raised. Harry almost started laughing, thinking how Ron and Snape would react if he ever told them they'd used the exact same sentence.

Instead, he smiled wryly and 'accio'ed the box from his table in the Hospital Wing.

It barreled down the hallways and burst through the portrait hole. Apparently objects didn't need passwords. Harry wondered who the portrait was of, since he hadn't seen it on his way in. Just as it closed, he caught a glimpse of red.

He decided it didn't really matter, anyway, and turned his attention to the box in his lap instead. He opened it, and pulled out the first picture. It was of his mother, Remus, and another girl. Harry supposed Snape was taking the picture. The three were sitting under a weeping willow tree (not the Whomping Willow). Remus was reading, the girl was drawing Remus reading, and Lily was smiling at the camera. Or Harry assumed, the person behind the camera.

He smiled. His mom was quite beautiful. He could see why she had caught James' eye. And Snape's, but he wasn't sure he counted that yet.

The next picture was of just Lily, laying under the same tree, one vine tickling her face. She was asleep on a book, her hair and the pages blowing in the wind.

Severus cursed inwardly. That was one of his favorite pictures. He hadn't meant to give it to the boy, not before copying it. He remembered the day well, and the picture was all he had left of it.

"It was our sixth year," he found himself saying. "Late in the fall. It was warm, and there was a cool breeze sweeping in over the Forest. That was the day…. We were studying. I was trying to help your mother understand Astronomy, which is the book she's using as a pillow." Harry smiled. "I was nervous, so I let her sleep, putting it off."

Harry wondered why Snape was admitting that he was nervous, or that he ever put things off.

Severus was caught up in his story, but he knew who he was speaking to, and he knew what he was saying. He also knew he would have to show the boy he was human if they were going to get anywhere as father and son. Or anywhere except hated professor and despised student.

"That was the day I asked her to go get a butterbeer together. She misunderstood," Snape said with a smile. Harry wondered if the way he looked when he smiled was part of why his mother fell in love with him, because he wasn't nearly as creepy that way. "She asked why I thought I had to ask, since we always did anyway, but then Potter sauntered over and asked the same thing, so she turned to me with a sheepish smile," Severus didn't say how beautiful she looked with that smile, or any expression, "and agreed. Potter almost jumped into the lake."

Harry felt bad for James for a moment, but then he remembered what he and Sirius had done to Snape the year before. He also remembered how much James had annoyed his mom back then, and decided he could be turned down a few times without any lasting harm.

Harry pulled out another picture while his father was in such a storytelling mood, and asked, "What's this one of?"

Severus grinned, making Harry jump. "That was of the time Lily and I paid James and Sirius back for a little something they did earlier."

Harry glanced at the picture, which showed a scowling black cat switching its tail at a sleeker black cat, while a black haired boy and a red haired girl stared at them in shock.

"We didn't think it would actually turn them _into_ cats," Severus said. "It was only supposed to give them ears and a tail, but that was the first we got to test it." He grinned evilly. "We tried it on Filch a week later."

Harry would have done something very undignified if he'd had any liquid in his mouth, thus spraying Snape, which he didn't think would be appreciated. "Filch?!"

Snape raised an eyebrow, "Yes. And Mrs. Norris was Miss. Norris, before our little test run."

Harry thought about vomiting, but decided it wouldn't help anything. He couldn't hold back a little gag, though, and Snape wrinkled his nose.

"Indeed."

A/N- Well, here's the next chapter. I know, I was going to update Tommy Potter this week, but I had no inspiration. ASAP, though. Anyway, I'm lucky to finish this one. The only reason it's done today is I got sick in French (the teacher was not amused) so I went home at lunch. Then my cat wouldn't leave the keyboard alone for long enough to type. Anyway, enough complaining. It's done now. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12: Remus

Chapter Twelve

Harry still wasn't sure about Snape, but he didn't seem quite as much of a monster as he used to. Harry wondered somewhere in the back of his mind if the man was just playing with him, trying to draw him in so he could hurt him even more, later. He would have expected it, but surely Snape wouldn't spill out things like this, or admit to loving Harry's mother, if it was a joke. Also, Filch and Mrs. Norris aside, Snape did not seem like a joking type of person.

It was around noon when Harry left Snape's quarters, tired and confused.

He thought about going back to the Hospital Wing, but decided he didn't really want to. Instead, he found his crutches leading him toward Linette's room.

"Harry?" he heard her call as he entered.

"Hey, Linette," he said, plopping tiredly into the chair next to hers. She set aside her book of dots and turned so she was facing him.

"How are you today?" she asked.

"I'm fine. You?"

"I am alright."

"I've been talking to Snape. I suppose you know him?"

Linette nodded, knowing she knew him slightly differently that Harry did.

"Did I mention he's my father?" Harry asked.

"You did not."

"Oh. Well, he is. And it's kind of weird. But not so bad, recently. You might be surprised to hear this, but he isn't quite as awful as he is in class. He smiled, today." Harry wondered how Linette would react to this. Most would probably pass out.

Linette just smiled. Things were getting better, then.

"He showed me pictures of my mom when they were in school. And told me a story about a prank they played on Filch. Remus Lupin, our DADA teacher from a few years ago, was in some of them too. And another girl, but I don't know who she was."

Linette smiled. She remembered that prank. Also, if this was a friend of Lily and Remus' that Severus could actually tolerate, she thought she knew who he was talking about.

"So, do you still want to show me what picture surfing is?" Harry asked with a grin.

Linette smiled. "Come."

1212121212121212121212121212121212121212

Severus sat in his worn chair, the same one he'd sat in every night for many, many years. His head was in his hands, his back wasn't straight, his hair fell forward to veil his face. He was not nearly as composed as usual.

Severus heaved a sigh. What to do? "Lily," he muttered, "I don't know what I'm doing. And I'm starting to think you didn't either, when you didn't tell me."

He thought he could almost feel her breath on his face, her laugh echoing through the walls, her voice filtering through his hair. _Silly Sev,_ it seemed like she was saying, _When did I ever say I made the right decision? _

He sighed again, and sunk farther down in his chair.

121212121212121212121212121212121212121212

Remus Lupin gazed around his run down house. He scratched his head. _Where did I leave those notes?_ he asked himself.

He'd searched everywhere, torn up the living room, looked under his bed, even crawled through the cobwebby basement. Nothing.

Suddenly, Remus remembered that he had an attic. It had been years since he'd been up there, and even longer since he'd wanted to put something up there, but he thought he remembered leaving boxes of parchment in a corner somewhere.

Excitement building, Remus pulled the ladder down, letting it drop on the piles of torn and shabby clothes in his closet. He pounded up the stairs, glad that despite being a werewolf, he was relatively light weight, so his house probably wouldn't collapse if he walked around in the attic.

Upon reaching the top, he stopped. Wow, he had a lot of junk. There were all his essays from Hogwarts, except the ones he'd burned so Sirius couldn't copy them. There was his attempts at writing a book about their years at school, including all the pranks. He set that box by the steps, thinking maybe he could finish it and that Harry might like to read it.

There was James' old firewhisky cork collection, the one he'd left Remus in his will. Remus thought it was probably a joke, considering how much he'd lectured James about that alcohol.

There was…there was the wolf plushy She'd given him for Christmas the year after she found out. He still laughed, looking at that thing. Even though, by fifth year, he was too old for such things, he had still slept with it next to his head on the pillow. Sometimes, he'd imagine it was her.

He set that on top of the box with his book in it, not really knowing why, but wanting it downstairs with him.

He shook himself out of the daze. There, in the back corner, was a box brimming with paper. _Aha_, he thought.

He tiptoed through the maze of boxes, and finally dropped to his knees in front of the one he wanted. He pulled out the top piece to make sure it was what he was looking for.

_The Raskepy_

_A small device similar to a stick that will imitate the perfect wand of the person holding it. All purpose wand, in a way. _

_Created by…_

Yup. This was it.

Remus chuckled a bit at the name. This must have been one of the ones Lily let Sirius and James name. Every once in a while, when they got too annoying, she'd tell them to leave her alone for a few hours, and they could decide what to call it.

They usually consumed far too much sugar during the allotted few hours, and came up with something utterly senseless.

But that was ok. At least Lily's devices were original.

Come to think of it, Lily and the Weasley twins had much in common. She was also very good at inventing, though what she created was generally of a more practical use than the twins.

Remus wondered for a moment what Fred and George would think if they ever found out Harry's mom was an inventor to rival even their brilliance, and his father had been…well, his adoptive father had been a Marauder? Come to think of it, what would they say if they ever found out they'd been taught by a different Marauder and lived in the same house as another?

Remus decided they'd probably idolize Harry as much as the rest of the world, but for different reasons. Then they'd die of horror at having pranked him as a Professor.

He chuckled to himself. That could be amusing. He might have to let something slip one of these days.

Wondering vaguely how he started thinking about the twins in the first place, Remus stood up with the box of notes, and promptly tripped over another box, a smaller one, that seemed to be full of moving photographs.

He wasn't sure whether his insatiable curiosity came of being a werewolf, or if it was just the way he was, but he couldn't remember what the pictures were of, and that was unacceptable.

With a sigh, he set the notes by the stairs with his old half written book, and clambered over the rest of the junk to sit cross legged in front of the box.

He lifted the flaps, and pulled out a few of the pictures from the top. There really were an obscene amount of them in there.

He took a look at the photo in his hands, and it took all his will power not to recoil. It was of _her_. More specifically, it was of _them._

Remus took a deep breath, and looked back at the stack. Yes, it was her.

She was tall, taller than Lily, but not quite reaching his height. Her hair was light brown, and fell to her waist. In the picture, it was fanned out behind her on the grass. Her eyes were closed, but he knew they were green, darker than Lily's, and a more quiet shade, but the same color.

He also knew that around the same time his own eyes began changing from brown to amber, hers would do the same.

In the picture, she was asleep under a tree. It was _their _tree. The one along the far side of the lake, where few went, but it was easy to hide.

They had hid there, for many years, before they left Hogwarts. When Remus returned to teach, he couldn't bring himself to go down there. Not without her.

He was leaning against the trunk, taking the picture, but his feet were in the frame.

He flipped to the next one.

It was of her too. But here she was with Sirius, James, Peter, and Lily. He was again taking the picture. It was Christmas, and they were all sitting around the tree in the Gryffindor Common Room. She'd had to sneak in, since she was a Hufflepuff.

That had been one of his favorite Christmas'.

The next picture hadn't been taken by him. Thinking back, Remus was pretty sure Lily had taken it. It was of both himself and her. He thought it might have been taken on her birthday. April 14th, he remembered.

The two were standing out by the lake, occasionally waving out of the picture, usually just smiling at the camera or each other.

It was sixth year, he knew, because she had shorter hair in it, and she'd cut it just after fifth year. He looked…better than he did now, he thought. The picture Remus was wearing robes that fit and weren't torn or worn, and his hair was just long enough to fall over his eyes, but not to put in a ponytail. The moon must have been near full, because their eyes were gold. Remus' a sort of butterscotch color, hers more like green apples just before they turn ripe.

Remus shook his head again, and flipped to the last in his stack.

Here, finally, was one she wasn't in. It was of himself, the other Marauders, Lily, and Severus, who James and Sirius were glaring daggers at. He was just rolling his eyes and smiling at the camera. He thought she might have been behind it.

Peter was giving Sirius bunny ears.

Lily and Severus had their arms around each other, though Severus looked incredibly awkward. Public displays of affection were not his thing. Or private ones.

Oh, Merlin. Severus and Lily. Harry. Oh, Merlin.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want more proof. He wanted Harry to be James' son. He wanted Severus to just be the annoying acquaintance from school, not his honorary son's father. It was just too strange.

He didn't even mind Severus. But…it was just…. He didn't even know. It just seemed _wrong. _

For just a moment, Remus allowed himself to wish she were there. He didn't really think she could help him much, because she wasn't any better with strange situations than he was, but she could at least be weirded out too.

Merlin, he missed her.

_Leeanna, _he thought to himself. _Where are you now? _

A/N- No, this story will not be about Leeanna and Remus. They'll be in it, but not the focus. This is still a Severitus, and that element is still the main part. Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13: Leeanna

Chapter Thirteen

A/N- Ok…first let it be known that I have nothing against France. I like the language, what little I've managed to learn in the last month. That's why it's used in this chapter. I have nothing against any of the other places mentioned either, so please don't take offense if you live there. Also, this chapter is mostly about Remus and Leeanna. Sorry. They aren't a main part of the story, but big enough that they have to be mentioned. Sev and Harry are still the focus. Enjoy!

At that moment, Leeanna DeLune was being fired.

"Why?" she asked the manager of the French branch of Honeydukes, "I don't understand."

"I'm sorry, Miss DeLune. It doesn't have anything to do with your performance here. You've been a very valuable asset to us. But I'm afraid we simply can't afford to pay someone to eat our candy anymore."

She sighed. She'd been waiting for the day to come when they decided they didn't need a product tester or a quality controller. It had seemed too good to be true, anyway. Besides, even though France had less werewolf restrictions, it had still been hard to get and keep a job at all.

"All right," she said quietly. "It's been nice working for you."

She left the store, wondering what she should do now. Before her job at Honeydukes, there'd been the librarian position, the construction worker job, the short time in spell testing, and the few years as a dragon handler.

The Honeydukes job had been her favorite, though the work with dragons was a close second. Oddly enough for a werewolf, dragons liked her. Most animals did. Except fish, for some reason.

She sighed again. Perhaps it was time she gave up on France. She'd learned the language, but even after 15 years she didn't understand the culture very well, and was still thought of as an outsider. But that left the question of where to go.

England was out. She didn't think she could handle going back, after all this time. Scotland was too close to home for her tastes. She didn't know Spanish, so that crossed of Spain and Mexico and other such places. America was an option, and she supposed Canada was too. Maybe India? She'd always wanted to go there.

But no, she didn't know anything about India. Egypt? That was an idea. She could look into that.

Leeanna sighed again, thinking vaguely that she seemed to be doing that a lot.

America and Canada had pretty harsh werewolf laws, so maybe they wouldn't be such a good idea. That left Egypt, but come to think of it, they weren't all that fond of her kind either.

_Great, _she thought. _I've ruled out all the places with sufficient wizarding populations. Maybe I oughta just stick around her a little longer. _

She apparated to her small apartment, pausing in the kitchen. Merlin, she was tired. And hungry. And she really wanted a hot bath.

Instead, Leeanna just pulled out her favorite pot, set some water to boil, and found some pasta. Looked like her favorite meal was in order. She wondered for a minute if she'd forgotten to buy the sauce the last time she was at a store, but found the bottles at the back of the cupboard.

When the noodles were done, she poured half the water out, scooped some of the pasta onto a plate to mix the Italian sauce with, and added the spices to the other half and the water.

She smiled softly. No one understood why she liked this sort of thing.

Of course, that wasn't entirely true. Remus liked the Italian pasta salad, but wasn't fond of the soup. She smiled to herself. It had been 16 years since she'd seen him. She wondered what he was up to.

1313131313131313131313131313131313

Remus was thinking. For once, he was thinking about what was usually a taboo subject for him and anyone who might talk to him. Leeanna.

He probably could have kept ignoring her existence a little longer, at least, if it weren't for Dumbledore.

He'd called Remus to his office earlier in the day, to tell him that he'd managed to locate her, in a small village in France. He'd said that he was planning on asking her to come help Madame Pomfrey for a while, and wanted to know if Remus wished to accompany him to speak with her about it.

At first, Remus struggled to think clearly. Her, here? After all this time? It was hard to make sense of it. And why? "Madame Pomfrey has never needed any help before," he told the headmaster warily.

"Well, there are a few…circumstances…this year, that are different from usual."

"You mean Harry," Remus said bluntly. As upset with himself as he was, he was nearly as angry with Dumbledore for never noticing.

"Yes, Harry will need much help, some that I'm afraid Poppy can't give. Also, I believe it is easier when there is company for the full moons?"

Remus' eyes widened. That…he was…Albus was trying to play matchmaker! "Albus, if you think I need-"

"No, no, Remus, you misunderstand. I am not trying to meddle with your personal life-" Remus snorted. "-but Poppy does indeed require assistance, and we shall kill two birds with one stone and ask Miss DeLune to join us here. Three birds, because then Severus can make her the Wolfsbane potion as well."

Remus tried to suppress an inner smirk, thinking how little Dumbledore really knew about the potions master.

"So, would you like to be there when I make the offer?" Albus asked, his fingers steepled under his chin, elbows resting on the desk.

"No…no, I don't think that would be a very good idea."

Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows, and Remus could've sworn his beard twitched, like he was smiling just a bit. "Very well. I shall leave for France tomorrow."

Remus nodded curtly and left to finish delivering the box of notes to Harry.

But of course, somewhere along the way, he'd gotten lost in his thoughts, and before he managed to get lost in the castle, he'd ducked into a hidden corridor to think things through.

Leeanna had disappeared not long before Lily and James died. He couldn't be sure she even knew. And if she did…Sirius…she might think he was guilty, and Peter dead.

He didn't want to be the one to explain it all.

Luckily, she'd gotten along relatively well with Severus, to the extent one could get along with him, so Harry's newfound heritage wouldn't be too terrible a shock. She'd also adored Harry the few times she'd seen him before leaving. For France, he now knew.

Why France? She had always liked the language, but…why? Somehow, he couldn't imagine her very well there. In truth, the only place he could imagine her was right here, in this castle.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, having her back.

1313131313131313131313131313

Severus stood off to the side, hidden in the shadow of the large statue of Gwendolyn, the famous kind hearted ogre, on the third floor. He had no idea what the foolish boy was doing, but wanted to be able to carry him back to the Hospital Wing when it went wrong, as it undoubtedly would.

Harry and Linette were standing facing each other. She had offered to teach him Occlumency, and he had been unable to refuse, considering where not knowing had gotten him.

"Clear your mind," she murmured. "Think of something you do not mind someone seeing, or make yourself a barrier just on the edges of your consciousness."

"What sort of thing?" Harry asked, eyes closed.

"Something happy, if you wish. Something easy for your mind to hold onto."

"Like making a Patronus?"

"Yes. The two are rather similar, though not exactly alike."

Harry thought for a moment, then decided on the feeling of flight. Close enough.

Linette closed her eyes. She couldn't use Legilimency the way Severus did, as that required eye contact, but she had her own way.

Linette smiled softly. She knew Severus was there. His Occlumency barriers were strong. Good for him. But she could tell he had something on his mind, something to tell Harry.

Then she let her mind slip from her body, and prodded gently at Harry's mind. He didn't feel it when his mind absorbed hers.

She could feel the air rushing past, and her body knew she was moving. Was he imagining a roller coaster? No, he was riding a broom. Flight, then.

She wandered farther into his mind. He was doing reasonably well. She had to wade through a layer of what felt like jello to get out of the memory. But then she had access to everything he'd ever thought or felt, and he didn't even know it.

With a sigh, she slid back into her own body and cleared her throat, pulling Harry back to reality.

Severus watched in amusement. Apparently, Harry had chosen to come all the way over here to practice Occlumency. He approved, but it still seemed like an odd place. He himself couldn't do proper Legilimency without seeing the person's eyes, but he could feel that Harry was clearing his mind, and that his thoughts…he was thinking about the feel of a broom under him, the scent of the air rushing past, the adrenaline and swoop in his stomach when he dove for the snitch….

He wasn't doing too bad, all things considered.

Severus could tell the exact moment when he stopped Occluding, because his mind wasn't on the Quidditch pitch anymore. For some reason, Severus couldn't tell what it was on, however.

Linette could feel Severus coming. Now wasn't the time for _that_ little reunion. "I have to leave, Harry. See you tomorrow?"

"Ok, bye Linette," Harry said quietly, head still reeling from the lesson.

Severus slid from behind the statue. Now would be a good time to talk to the boy. He heard him murmur something, them turn toward the Hospital Wing. He came face to face with Severus.

"Professor!" He exclaimed. "Why are…I mean, what are you…um, hello."

Severus smiled to himself. "Hello. I came to discuss living arrangements for the remainder of the summer."

Harry frowned. "But…can't I just stay in Gryffindor Tower?"

"No, I'm afraid not. The Headmaster could tell you precisely why, but doubtlessly you wouldn't understand. Few do." Severus didn't mention that he hadn't understood, himself. "Of course, you could stay in the Hospital Wing."

Harry went pale. "Um, no, that…won't be necessary."

Again, Severus smiled to himself. His son _was_ like him. "In that case, Professor Dumbledore has added a room to my quarters, and asks you to stay there."

Harry thought about that for a moment. He wondered if Snape actually wouldn't mind him being around. After all, he seemed to hate him, and everyone else, an alarming amount. "Professor, excuse me for saying this, but I really don't that would be a good idea. We'd probably end up killing each other."

The look in the boy's eyes left no doubt about who would be doing the killing.

"Are you saying that I can't control my murderous impulses?" Severus asked. It was about as close to a joke as he would ever come, but Harry didn't notice.

"No, sir, um…ok," he agreed quietly.

Severus decided Harry would stop being afraid to sleep at night soon enough. At least, once he realized he wasn't going to wake up to a knife by his throat or an untraceable poison in his mouth.

And if he had to do that, well…at least the child would be expecting it.

A/N- No, Severus isn't going to kill Harry. I wrote this while mostly asleep, and so it might be a bit disjointed. If I have time, I'll edit it, but it might just stay the way it is. Also, yes, this is mostly plot-less filler. But…it'll get better soon. Hopefully.

Also, if all goes as hoped in other aspects of my life, I won't be updating again until next Thursday, but it might not work out. Cross your fingers!


	14. Chapter 14: Kataflepoofle

Chapter Fourteen

Harry followed Snape to his rooms again. They passed through the pitch black hallway, and even though Harry was looking for it, he didn't see what the portrait guarding the door was of.

"Well, here we are," Severus sneered. Inside, he was shaking, but he couldn't let the boy see, could he? "Go on, look around."

Harry glanced around the sitting room again. It hadn't gotten any brighter since he'd last been there, but there still weren't any evil creatures, so he supposed it wasn't too bad. The kitchen was through a small doorway, and it actually looked used. He hadn't expected that.

"Your bedroom is over there."

Harry looked between Snape and the doorway suspiciously. After a minute, he took a tentative step in the direction his father was pointing.

"Well, go on, it won't eat you!" Severus burst out. He was losing the little bit of patience he'd managed to keep this long.

Harry jumped and took another quick step. Then he walked toward the door at a more reasonable pace.

The room was...nice. It had a four poster bed similar to the one in the Gryffindor dormitories, but the sheets were white and the quilt was blue and red, with no house crest. His trunk sat at the foot of the bed, and there was a shimmering...thing...that looked like a half invisible umbrella stand. Harry realized after a moment that his cloak was hanging on it.

He glanced around for a moment, stunned. It hit him that for the first time, he actually had a room of his own. One given to him not because the Dursleys were afraid of the freaks finding out about where Harry slept, but because someone wanted him to live with them. Because his_ father_ wanted him to live with him.

He hoped.

"Is it to your liking?"

Harry jumped at the sudden voice behind him. Darn Snape and his silent skulking. "Yes, thank you. It's fantastic."

Snape sniffed. "Don't thank me. This is your home too. Obviously you'll need a place to sleep."

Harry nodded mutely. He decided it would be a bad idea to offer to sleep in a cupboard somewhere.

"I'm afraid I shall have to leave soon. There is a convention in Spain I'll be leaving for in two days. Of course, you're welcome to accompany me, if you wish." Severus said quietly, half hoping the boy would ask to stay here, half wanting him to beg to come along.

"Spain?" Harry asked, "What sort of convention? For potions?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside of my potions' lab, Harry. No, the convention is not for potions. It is for Kataflepoofle."

"Kataful-what?" Harry said, stunned. That wasn't the sort of word one heard Snape say every day.

"Kataflepoofle. It's a wizarding game not nearly as popular as Quidditch, but rather more common in America. I played for Scotland when I went to school here."

"How's it played?" Harry wanted to know. It sounded rather…intriguing.

"Kataflepoofle is rather like muggle hockey. I don't suppose you know how that's played? You do? Well. Most English wizards don't. Yes, it is almost exactly like muggle hockey, but there are two magical players. You've got your centers and forwards and defense, of course, but there's also a fielder and a breaker. Following?"

Harry nodded slowly, but he didn't really get it.

"Breakers and fielders need incredible concentration, as well as a grasp on wandless magic. They have the most important jobs." Severus sniffed imperiously. "The fielder not only employs the use of force fields to keep the-" He sniffed again, this time in derision, "-puck where they want it, but also to shatter the force fields of the opponent fielder. It is a complex battle of wits."

Harry nodded. That sounded a little weird.

"Breakers have a less taxing job, though some argue it is more exciting. They also use magic and concentration to smash the ice under a players skates, dropping the player into a cushioned pit. The player then has to climb out before joining the game. It was added as a way to eliminate players and make scoring more difficult. If a player was about to score and suddenly fell six feet, they aren't in a position to score anymore, are they?"

"What does Kataflepoofle mean?" Harry asked. It seemed like the sort of word that was chosen for a reason. Or maybe not. Quidditch wasn't.

"Kataflepoofle is derived from the German word for pancake. Don't ask why. The game was developed by a group of witches whose sanity was long questioned."

"And you played when you were at Hogwarts?" Harry had trouble imagining Snape skating around after a piece of black rubber.

"Yes. I was a fielder."

Oh. That made more sense then.

"Your mother played once. Just once. She enjoyed the muggle game when she was younger, and filled a defense position after a hex took out the regular player."

_This game…_ Harry thought, _It's practically a family legacy._ "In Spain? Could I…um…come too?"

Severus nodded emotionlessly, though inside he was smiling. "I would not be adverse to having you accompany me."

Harry smiled.

14141414141414141414141414141414

"Linette?" Harry called. It was the next day, and Madame Pomfrey had finally agreed that he could move to Snape's quarters that night, if he kept using the crutches and taking his potions. Harry thought the potions would be no problem, considering where he was going. "Are you in here?"

"Harry? I am behind the bookshelf."

"Hey, Linette. I have some interesting news," Harry said, plopping down in an armchair. Linette moved gracefully toward the one next to his. Harry admired how well she moved without her sight.

"What is it, Harry? I too have something for you."

"Really? You first."

"No, I want to hear your news."

Harry smiled. "My…um…dad, gave me a bedroom. It's perfect, Linette, beyond belief. I've never had a bedroom before. And it's in his quarters, like he almost wants me there. Can you believe it?"

"Wow, Harry, that is great. What is it like?"

"It's really comfortable, soft. And the walls are blue, and all my stuff is in it, and there's shelves and shelves and shelves, and I don't even know what I'm going to put on them all, and a closet, and a wardrobe, and a desk, and there's even a Gryffindor banner on one wall. I thought he would have wanted to completely ignore my house. I've got a window, too, and there're no bars on it!"

"It sounds wonderful. What was your bedroom like with the people you used to live with?" Linette asked, gazing at the wall behind Harry's ear. He wondered if she was imagining it.

"You mean my cupboard?"

"Cupboard?"

"Yes, the cupboard under the stairs. It's where I slept, until I got my Hogwarts letter. If there was anywhere in the house that was mine, that was it. It was safe, you know? Not very comfortable, and it was really cramped by the time I left, but they couldn't get me there. None of them but Aunt Petunia could even fit through the door."

Linette could feel that Harry was unhappy talking about that time, from the way he shifted in his chair and got the words out as fast as he could. "I lived in the attic," she said. "It was not safe there. That was where he came. But there was a part of the wall I could remove, and sit behind. There I was safe. And when I got my Hogwarts letter, my mother made him stop. For a while."

"Your mom didn't help you?" Harry asked, appalled. He had thought that mothers, at least were good.

"She tried. But she could not do much. He killed her, you know." Harry wondered how she could say that with so little change in her voice, none in her face, just a tear. A silent tear. He wondered if he'd ever be able to talk about his relatives so bluntly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

"Did you have something else to say?" she asked quietly.

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, Snape is taking me to a conference for some sport he played when he was younger. Pancake, or waffle or something."

"Kataflepoofle?"

"Yeah, that. How'd you know?"

"I knew someone who played once. It is very uncommon, even more so these days. It is still played?"

"Yeah, apparently. I'll ask Remus to tell me about it. I'll bet he knows. Or maybe Hermione."

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, Hermione Granger. You don't know her? She's the one who knows everything." He laughed. "Should've been a Ravenclaw, that one, but I'm glad she wasn't."

"This Hermione, is she your girlfriend?"

"Hermione? No! That would be like…no. Best friend, that's all. I'm surprised you didn't know. Every year, Hermione, Ron, and me manage to do something spectacular. Or…not so spectacular. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you before. You're in my year, right? Wouldn't we have Herbology together?"

Linette smiled. "Have you never heard the phrase, 'Leave a girl her secrets'? There are some things you do not yet know."

"Why? Is there some great mystery?" Harry chuckled.

Linette's smiled widened. "We all have our demons, Harry. Remember that."

Harry wondered briefly what that had to do with anything but instead asked, "You said you had something to tell me? Come on, what is it?"

The smile never leaving her face, the girl said, "Come."

Harry stood and followed her through the stacks of book, and shelves of books, and cupboards of who knew what, until arriving at a table with a single book resting on the surface. "This room has been here a very long time, and we are not the first to find it," she began. "Others have discovered this place, and left behind pieces of themselves for the next person. I found this, and thought you might wish to see it. Your mother wrote it."

Linette handed Harry the book. It was slim, maybe fifty pages long, and on the cover, in the same pretty, but easily readable script as his letter, were the words:

Property of Lily Marie Evans

Open at Your Own Risk

It was a diary.

A/N- Yes, yes, I know it's been forever, there were exams, and then I got sick, and then…well. Anyway, I apologize. Again. Also, I apologize because this chapter is sort of horrible. I'm actually looking forward to next chapter far more than this one, because there's the convention, and Leeanna pops in….

Ok, I need help deciding something. Should this story be Severus/Remus, or Remus/Leeanna? Whichever isn't chosen here will be used in Tommy Potter. It's just that Leeanna/Remus is already set up here, but it would make way more sense to do it the other way…. Either way, Leeanna will be in this, 'cause I like her. Please vote! I am putting the future of this fanfic in your hands!


	15. Chapter 15: Shopping

A/N- I know, I know, it's been a while. RL (real life and Remus Lupin) keeps getting in the way. I'm sorry! Please don't murder me. Remus wouldn't like it.

Chapter Fifteen

Severus was worried when Harry didn't come back to their rooms after an hour or so. After reaching an agreement about the convention, the child had run out of the room, babbling some nonsense about how he 'had to tell someone'. Severus thought that was odd, as there was no one else in the castle.

So he was still waiting, reading on the couch, when Harry walked in, clutching a small, slim book and looking rather dazed, like he had wandered there by accident and didn't quite know where 'there' was to begin with.

"Are you all right?" he managed to say, trying very hard to add just the right amount of real worry to show the boy he cared, but not enough to destroy his reputation more than it was already. That wouldn't do.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm ok. I just, um…" Harry waved the book vaguely at his father.

Severus frowned. The cover inspired a twinge of déjà vu in him, and he wondered what it was. "Bring that here for a moment."

Harry deposited the book in Snape's hands and plopped down in a chair on the other side of the small table.

"Where did you get this?" Severus asked. Harry thought his voice sounded kind of strange. Choked, like.

"Linette gave it to me," Harry murmured. "She said it was my mum's journal."

"Linette…" Severus said quietly. "Of course. I should have known." Harry gave him an odd look. "Never mind. May I hold on to this for a while? You can have it back soon."

Harry nodded. "When did you say we'll be leaving for Spain?"

"Tomorrow. I was just about to recommend that you begin packing."

"Er…" his face twisted a bit, but he nodded.

"You do everything you'll need, don't you?"

"Um…yeah. Of course. I'll be fine."

Severus examined the boy's face. Harry fidgeted. "Silly child. I will not be seen with you if you plan on

wearing those horrid towels you wear during term. Do you have other clothing?"

Harry shook his head, ashamed. "Why on earth not? Those are awful. Even with your sense of style you must know that."

"Well it isn't as if the Dursleys were going to get me _nice_ clothes, was it?" Harry snapped, then flinched. "Sorry, sir."

Severus sighed. "I…apologize as well. I did not think. Very well. We can acquire new clothes in Diagon Alley, along with some things I shall need. Will you be ready to leave in an hour?"

He nodded, red face turned toward his tattered trainers.

Severus sighed. He couldn't let the boy continue to feel bad. Trouble was, he couldn't think of a way to help without ruining his image. He got up and crouched in front of the chair. "Harry?" Nothing. "Harry, look at me." He reached up and put a finger under Harry's chin, ignoring the flinch at his touch, and gently pulled his head up. "It is no trouble to buy you new things. You are my son, and you are a human being. You deserve better than those rags the muggles gave you. However, that is what they gave you, and you can hardly be expected to have others. There is no reason to be ashamed."

Harry nodded, but Severus could see he wasn't entirely convinced. "Alright," he sighed. "I'm going to tell you a bit about my childhood, much as I'd like to keep it buried."

Harry's eyes went wide. "You don't have to, sir, it's ok-"

"Don't be silly, Harry. Of course I don't have to. I'm not telling you anything because I _have _to. However, I believe you should know, so I am going to." Harry nodded. "My father was a drunk. He worked little and spent all he made on alcohol. My mother and I did what we could, but food was difficult, and we weren't going to spend what we had on clothes. When I met your mother in the park one day, Petunia was appalled. She didn't want Lily to talk to me. I think she thought poverty was contagious. But Lily didn't care. However, some of the people at this conference will, and you don't need to dress like that when you don't have to. It's my job as your father to ensure that you have all you need, and clean clothes that fit are something I say you need."

Harry nodded again, but this time Severus thought he meant it. "Very well. We'll leave in an hour, but we'll both have to be disguised."

Harry looked up. "Why?"

"Well, spying duties or no, it wouldn't be a good idea for either of us to go out in public as ourselves."

Harry seemed relieved. Severus raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He'd had enough soul-searching for one day. Heck, enough for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he got the feeling he'd be doing a lot more of it in the coming weeks.

45 minutes later, they were again in the living room. Severus looked Harry over, then did a simple charm to turn his hair Malfoy-blonde. Harry made a face, and Severus smirked and darkened it to a reddish-blonde that Harry thought would occur if a Weasley and a Malfoy were ever to breed. His eyes were turned brown, the scar hidden. He was already much taller than he'd been before, and with the crutches, Severus didn't think anyone would recognize him.

Severus made himself a brunette with blue eyes, and cast a heavy glamour to hide his nose. Otherwise, there wasn't much to be done.

"Ready?" he asked.

Harry nodded silently. Severus wondered if he was worried about leaving the castle or if the boy just didn't talk much around him.

The walk down to the gates was silent, too. They could have flooed, but apparating was much less conspicuous. There wasn't much wind, and the sun was shining though the rare blue sky. Severus could see how much Harry was enjoying the warmth, and inwardly cursed his dislike of the outdoors.

"Hold onto me, Harry," Severus commanded once they were outside the wards.

Harry flinched, and Severus sighed. He wasn't any more pleased by human contact than his son, but they had to do this. "I'm…sorry. But it has to be done. I'll make it quick, yes?" Harry nodded apprehensively, and Severus wrapped his arms around him, spun, and released him immediately upon arriving. Harry seemed glad to be free. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"So…where to?" Harry asked quietly.

"Madam Malkins, I believe."

"She does normal clothes? I thought she only made robes."

"Robes _are_ normal. Have you ever seen anyone who is not muggle raised and not a Weasley wearing muggle clothing? No. You most certainly have not. However, this conference will be held in the muggle part of Spain for reasons unknown, so you'll need some of those appalling outfits as well. First, we will acquire decent robes."

Harry wondered idly if Snape made his speech flowery and verbose on purpose, to intimidate people, or if he couldn't help it.

An obscene amount of time in the dress shop later, Harry was bored out of his mind, but had a shrunken box of green and black robes in his pocket. He'd said the green ones were too Slytherin, but Snape just looked away and said that they, "matched his eyes."

The time in the muggle store was much more fun, not least because Snape was obviously uncomfortable. He'd ended up with a pair of black dress pants and an assortment of darkly colored dress shirts, plus black ties. Harry had sat off to the side as they were selected, trying not to grin at the darkly muttered curses.

Harry himself got jeans. They actually fit, which was a plus, and Snape hated them, which was even more of a plus. Much as he didn't really _want_ to antagonize his new father, it was so much fun. He also got a bunch of t-shirts, plain, but in nice colors. They looked vibrant sitting on the checkout desk next to Severus' clothes.

Snape had, however insisted on something formal. So Harry reluctantly agreed to an outfit much like Snape's, black trousers, a white dress shirt, red tie, and black jacket. He wasn't entirely certain how to go about tying a tie, but figured Snape must know, since he'd bought them. In any case, he was just glad it was over.

Shopping sucked, Harry decided.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, after he'd sent Harry to bed, Severus sat at his desk, looking over the things he'd taken from Lily's vault. Severus shuffled the papers irritably. At first he had been nearly reverent when touching them, acutely awake that Lily had touched them last. Now, he was just annoyed. This wasn't making any sense. Even Lily must have know that it was impossible. Even with the…. _Oh. Oh. Oh stinking crud. That might work. If you had the…. _

F-ing Merlin. Lily knew how to cure lycanthropy.

A/N- Ok, I've wanted to use that line for, like, ever. Yeah, yeah, it's been forever. I've been working on a semi-real life M-preg one shot, so…yeah. I got a little nudge, and here it is. Next chapter we'll meet Leeanna!

By the way, does anyone out there actually know how to tie a tie? I have to for a costume in this play, and I can't figure it out.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
